


How to Train Your Heartless

by MariaAshby64



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alcohol, Crossover, Demyx - Freeform, Dragons, Drinking, Gen, Heartless - Freeform, Larxene - Freeform, Original Character(s), Other nobodies in minor roles, Xemnas - Freeform, Zexion - Freeform, sea salt trio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2019-10-22 05:11:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 61,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17656550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariaAshby64/pseuds/MariaAshby64
Summary: This is The Isle that Never Was.It’s twelve days North from the Realm of Darkness and a few degrees South of Impending Doom. Located right in the middle of the Sea of Misery. Here it rains nine months of the year and hails the other three. On a clear day you might be able to appreciate the sunset but, when does that ever happen.The village here is... sturdy to say the least. We’ve lived here for several generations but every building is new. You see here the main problem is the pests. While most places have mice or mosquitoes we have...Heartless.





	1. Chapter 1

_I’m writing things down in this so I don’t forget it. Nothing seems to stick in my head at the moment._

_My name is Roxas. I live in the Isle That Never Was. I don’t really know why I’m here, all I seem to do is get in the way. I’ve been told I was brought here for a purpose but I don’t even know what that is._

_I just hope I can find out one day._

  


  


Roxas skidded to a halt in the gravely mud. Well at least he tried to. Instead he ended up traveling a few more feet and barely escaped getting decapitated by a looming shadow. A heartless.

He fell back, feeling the air ripple as the creature’s claws passed right above his face. His back hit the ground, the air knocked out of his lungs. The heartless sailed over him, its beady yellow eyes streaking like shooting stars. Except these stars granted death instead of wishes.

The heartless crashed down on the other side of the road. For the first time Roxas could get a good look at his attacker. Its body was black. Blacker than a starless night. Dark tendrils wisping from its form. It rose on two legs using its great wings to balance, head crowned with spikes that rattled as it shook out the disorientation of the fall. The creature snapped it’s beak at Roxas hungrily.

 _Oh great, a Deadly Nadder._   Roxas thought as he readied the branch in his hand. A makeshift weapon, yes, but he had been compromised. The Nadder seemed undeterred by this and prepared to rush him.

But before Roxas or the heartless could react an axe suddenly embedded itself into the creature’s head. It must have been enchanted because the heartless began to dissipate into smoke. Roxas shivered as its fading stare locked with his.

But the moment was broken when the axe’s owner burst onto the scene with a brutal cry. A Nobody, built like a sturdy trunk with two red plaits streaking behind her. She swiped her axe from the shadow and swung it a few more times to ensure that the heartless had really faded into nothing. She wheeled on Roxas, hazel eyes gleaming above her smile.

“Morning, Newbie!” She summoned her axe back to her hand.

“Uh, hi?” Before Roxas even finished she had already dove off into the chaos as quickly as she had come. He frowned wondering if he had met her during his short time here since he woke up.

Around him the village was alive with the struggles of Nobodies against heartless. Fires were burning, even with the dreadful downpour of rain. The creatures of shadow were everywhere, swarming houses, in the sky, rising up from the ground… Much like the new one that was appearing before Roxas now. It roared, presenting several sharp rows of teeth. He didn’t stick around to say hello.

He raced through the streets, dodging both heartless and Nobodies. Though sometimes he did seem to get in the way of both of them.

“Watch it!” A tall man called as Roxas tripped over a rope holding a net of heartless in place. They burst free, snapping at their former captors.

“Sorry!” Roxas replied as he tried to free his leg. One of the escaping heartless must have thought he looked tasty because it took a lunge at him. He barely rolled out of the way as another Nobody sliced the shadow clean in half.

“Who let Roxas out?” The chainmail wearing warrior called to the others in the area. Before she could get an answer another Nadder swooped in from the sky, attacking head on.

Roxas slipped the rope off his leg. Picking up his broken branch he rushed into the battle once again. He had to find it. He wasn’t far now, just down the street, take a left and-

There was a sudden tug from the back of his jacket. He was hoisted off his feet.

 “Kiddo? Why is he out- Why are you out here?”

The struggling Roxas found himself face to face with one of the organisations higher-ups: Xigbar.

“S-same as you guys,” Roxas stated as he hung from the scruff of his coat. “Fighting the heartless.”

“ _You’re_ not allowed to fight.” Xigbar said ruffly, setting him down. “Unbelievable… Hey Axel! I need ya to make sure your lost puppy make it back home.”

“Aw come on! Really Roxas, again? A fiery redhead replied. And by fiery, his whole figure was awash in flames, burning defiantly in the hissing rain. The fire spun from his weapons, two gyrating discs of spiked metal. He was decked out in light leather armour. Fire resistance spells were etched into its surface. The heartless around him seemed to crumble to ash instead of dissipating like the others. He sighed. “Why do I always get the icky jobs?”

“Because until you get another mission you’re on babysitting duty.” Xigbar responded.

“I’m not a baby!” Roxas protested.

“Yeah, why don’t we at least make it past your first birthday before we make that argument?” Axel strode over, casually striking down shadows with his spiked wheels of death.

“Take him back to the smithy,” Xigbar ordered, “it’ll be safer there.” Then he dashed off, nailing shadows as he went.

“I don’t need an escort.” Roxas crossed his arms.

“Yeah you do.” Axel slapped him on the back to get him moving. “If I wasn’t around you’d just get picked off.”

“Nah, I’m too muscly for them.” Roxas replied, squeezing a non-existent bicep. “They wouldn’t know what to do with all… this.”

Axel glanced over his spindly form.

“Well, they probably need toothpicks.”

“Hey!”

Axel chuckled, but the smile was wiped off his face as he caught sight of something ahead.

“Behind me! Now!” Axel pulled Roxas back as a heartless appeared on the path before them. It clawed its way up from the ground, forming from a pool of darkness. Darkness spilled from its gaping maw, collecting around its feet.

“A Monstrous Nightmare.” Roxas whispered in awe. He shifted nervously behind Axel. Only the toughest Nobodies would take one on directly.

“Heh, piece of cake.” Axel brandished his weapons. Roxas noticed his fingers twitching uneasily. Roxas readied the branch he was carrying, fully aware of how underprepared he was.

Axel ignited his weapons, the rain steamed around him. The heartless’ eyes seemed to close into slits. Then a glow began to appear in its throat.

“Heh, fire verses fire,” Axel chuckled. “Let’s see who burns brighter.”

The heartless attacked. It lunged just as Axel hurled his weapons. They arced through the rain, sawing into the heartless’ side. The creature released a spout of flames that would have melted the two of them on the spot if Axel wasn’t already shoving Roxas to get moving.

Axel’s weapons sailed back to his side. Turned out to be just in time, as he immediately spun them to block another onslaught of flames.

“Get back!” Axel growled, and Roxas decided to oblige seeing the heartless’ fire splatter the ground in front of them. It burned in red hot globs, sinking into the darkness that seemed to pour from the creature itself.

“Head to the smithy,” Axel called as he countered a fierce strike from the heartless. He had to tiptoe around the spawning pools of darkness. “And you better stay there or so help me!”

Roxas nodded and began the race towards the more familiar part of the village… When he made the mistake of looking back.

Axel had caught his foot in one of the pools of darkness. He had sunken in halfway up his calf. Distracted and unbalanced, it left him wide open for the heartless’ charging attack.

“Axel!” Roxas turned and raced back towards him. He wasn’t sure what he could do with his broken branch, but he wasn’t about to leave him.

But his rescue was cut short when a cacophony of young Nobodies interrupted him. A blast of water hit the Monstrous Nightmare’s face, cutting its attack off. The creature turned to face its attackers but was blinded by an onslaught of blades and light. When it faded, Roxas caught sight of three young nobodies.

“Oh this is humbling, being rescued by nits.” Axel muttered.

N.I.Ts referred to Nobodies in Training. They technically weren’t allowed to fight, unless in an extreme emergency, and were usually relegated firefighting when attacks happened. Glancing behind them Roxas could see their discarded buckets left in the mud. Instead they brandished their weapons eyeing up their enemy.

“Come on, you want some more of that?!” One of the youths taunted, easily swirling the water from the rain around him for another attack.

“Or maybe some of this?!” A blond haired nobody pushed past him, flourishing a set of knives in her hand.

“Demyx! Larxene! Hold your ground!” Axel had managed to free himself from the darkness. He tossed his weapons, they flew near the Monsterous Nightmare’s head, grabbing its attention.

“Now when I say run, you scatter. You can’t handle a heartless this dangerous.” He backed up to where Roxas was standing. Roxas fell behind him. He felt a little out of place with his measly stick compared to the others’ weapons.

“Zexion!” Axel called to the boy at the back of the group. “I take it you can handle a fire block spell now?”

The boy responded with a curt nod. Axel held out his arms. His weapons spun with new energy.

“Ya might want to cast it.”

The whirling fire changed from red, to yellow, to white…

“Run!”

He cast his weapons at the heartless. The creature let out a deafening roar as it was blinded. Roxas stumbled back, feeling the heat wash over him. Before he could fall though, he felt a sharp tug on his arm. Opening his eyes he saw that Axel was leading him away from the heartless. Its pained cries echoed after them.

They weaved through the busy streets. Heartless and Nobodies clashed on either side of their path, often half hidden in rain and smoke. Their shadows cast grotesque shapes upon the broken buildings. Roxas wasn’t sure if the Monstrous Nightmare was following them or not, but he sure as hell wasn’t checking now. He caught sight of a familiar lamppost. One final turn had Axel shoving him through the blacksmith doorway.

Roxas caught himself on the nearby benchtop. Strewn across it were some of the weapons he was required to make under the supervision of the head blacksmith. Axel slammed the door shut behind them. The pandemonium outside suddenly became muted. Roxas hunched over, gasping heavily. Water dripping from his hair began to collect at his feet. Axel was leaning against the closed door, sagging more in relief than actually being worn out.

“I swear,” Axel huffed as he brushed the embers from his singed hair, “I’m going to go bald early because of you.”

“Then old one-eye won’t be able to call you Flamesilocks anymore.” Roxas panted.

“You better watch yourself there, mate.” Axel pointed a gloved finger. “Or I could easily rearrange that dumb hairstyle of yours.”

“You’d better be prepared then,” Roxas smirked as straightened up. “I could easily take you on.”

“Oh really?” Axel scoffed, crossing his arms. “That’s why you’re stuck here while I’m out fighting heartless?”

“I can fight!” Roxas’ smile dropped, “Just show me a heartless, I can take it down!”

“Roxas, you’re carrying a half-charred stick, what good will that do against them? Huh?”

“What- no, not this.” Roxas tossed the stick to the floor. “Just give me an actual weapon. Please, Axel, you gotta let me fight. I can do more than just hammer metal all day.”

He gestured to his work across the benchtop. Which was a mistake since the barely recognisable lumps of metal hardly supported his argument.

“Okay I’m gonna have to stop you there.” Axel held up a hand as he straightened up. “You are not leaving this building.”

“But-“ He stopped as Axel placed a hard hand on his shoulder.

“Stay. Here.”

Roxas’ jaw worked for a reply, but seeing the fire in Axel’s eye’s he simply dropped his head.

“Fine.”

Axel sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as he heard a sound in the air.

 Roxas’ head flicked up. He had heard it before, only twice but it was definitely memorable. At first it sounded like a kettle was boiling, but as it got closer it grew into a very distinct roar. Like great amount of air was being sucked through a very small gap.

The source of the scream passed right over the building. Roxas clasped his hands to his ears. Axel instinctively summoned his weapons. Their muted glow casting shadows across his hunched form. The cry started to fade and then-

**BOOM**

The Night Fury had joined the fight.

Axel pulled open the door. One of the beacons, great towers with great lights that warded off the darkness, crumbled as it fell, burning, to the ground. The heartless that took the shot had already vanished into the night, but its distinctive scream was already charging up another attack.

“They’re gonna need me out there.” Axel grumbled. “Roxas, make sure you stay…”

He paused as he glanced at the small figure standing alone in the cluttered smithy.

“Stay safe.”

And then he disappeared into the rain.

There was a quiet moment from when the door shut where the sounds of the battle echoed around Roxas. The downpour continued to thunder against the roof. The roars of the heartless punctuated the night. The screams of the Night Fury before the inevitable crack of thunder as it attacked.

Roxas steadied himself against the wall. Maybe Axel and the others were right. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to fight. He looked over the tools and metal scraps that littered his workspace.

 _Suppose it’s fitting that I have to make weapons._ Roxas thought. He held out arm, concentrating on pulling something from his own subconscious. Nothing happened.

_Since I can’t summon my own._

He let his arm fall to his side, his fists clenching and unclenching. He thought about how the other young Nobodies were already out there, at least being allowed to help. He wondered why he had to stay locked away. Unwanted and broken.

_Useless._

He punched the wall, wincing as the impact sent a sharp stab of pain through his knuckles. He should be out there, fighting the heartless, not cooped up like some child.

Slowly, his gaze wandered the array of weapons stashed against the far wall. Sure, he could get into a lot of trouble for this, but… if he was able to take down at least one heartless, then he would surely be allowed to fight. He strode over and picked an axe off its mount. It was heavier than he expected and clanged against the floor. He hefted it up with both hands and made his way to the door.

For a moment he paused, listening to the clashes of Nobodies and darkness outside. The cries of the Night Fury still streaked through the night. Roxas rested his hand on the rough wood of the door handle. This could all easily go very wrong. But he tightened his grip on the handle. He was going to finish what he started.

He wrenched it open. The rain was the first thing to greet him. Pushing onwards he made his way through the winding streets, keeping low to decrease his chances of being spotted by both nobodies and heartless. Lugging the heavy axe along with him the whole way.

He made his way to the southern side of the village. It was the furthest from where the heartless mainly attacked, but that meant the heartless that appeared there were less dangerous.

 _I just need to take out one._ Roxas thought, ducking under a broken lamppost. _Even better if I can get a heart._

His path had taken him right to the outskirts of the town. He scanned the rain desperately, looking for any heartless to slay. When none appeared he started to stray further from the fires of the village. The darker it was, the more likely heartless would spawn. That was one thing Roxas had learned in his short time here.

He was now a decent distance away from the last of the main buildings. The rain still thundered around him strangely muting all sound.

 _How can I find a heartless in this?_ He wondered.

A screech began to build in the night. First low then louder and louder, until Roxas could unmistakably identify the Night Fury’s cry. And it was heading straight for him.

_But why…?_

Roxas whipped around and suddenly realised the Night Fury’s target. The last beacon stood above him, perched upon the craggy cliffs. The last light to ward off the darkness. And the Night Fury’s roar was almost near.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Roxas spun to brace himself but the axe slipped from his hands. It flung straight into the Nightfury’s path, causing the heartless to burst from its shadow. The black mass lunged towards him. The glow of its murderous red eyes filled his vison. Roxas raised his arms, desperately hoping for some miracle, when he felt a strange sensation.

It was like a pull in his gut that ran right through his arm to his hand. A bright light flashed before him. Blinding his view. A sudden weight formed in his open hand as he instinctively gripped the foreign object. Before he could see what had happened, the Night Fury collided with him.

It smacked the newly formed object right out of his hand. The jolt sent him sprawling. The heartless let out a startled screech. For a moment the rain seemed to falter as the creature passed over him. His hair was swept across his face.

And then the moment was gone. The Night Fury’s cries echoed into the night as it descended into the valley below him.

Roxas waited one second. Two. The valley was silent. The beacon still stood. It finally dawned on him.

The Night Fury was gone.

“No… way.” Roxas struggled to his feet. His clothes were drenched in mud. He ran a hand through his hair, unplastering it from his face. “I… I actually hit one?”

He threw a punch into the air. “Oh I did it! Finally! I took down a heartless! Did anyone see that?”

He whirled around only to find himself face to face with a heartless. A huge humanoid shadow looming over him. Its yellow eyes peered threateningly down at him through a mane of dark hair. Where its chest should have been, it opened up into a heart shaped cavity. Roxas could see the rain falling through the other side. It was a Darkside.

“Anyone except for you?” Roxas groaned.

The Darkside replied by raising its fist for an attack. Roxas didn’t hang around for greetings. Instead he gapped it back to the village as fast as he could.

“Can’t you pick on someone your own size?” Roxas called out at the heartless as it continued to pursue him.

 _What was a Darkside doing way out here? Was it attracted to the last beacon?_ Roxas thought as he scrambled through the tangled streets. He dodged under a falling beam, just avoiding a concussion. He felt the Darkside’s fist connect with the ground behind him. The beam snapped into splinters. The shockwave sent Roxas sprawling. The ground ruptured underneath him. His jaw collided painfully on loose stone and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

He struggled to his feet and desperately limped onwards. The Darkside was already recovering from its strike. Roxas rounded the corner…

Only to find a dead end.

He started to backtrack but the heartless cut him off, forcing him into the alleyway. He backed up, panting hard. Soon there was no more alleyway left. His back hit the wall. There was nowhere to go.

The heartless considered its prey for a moment, tilting its shaggy black head. For a moment Roxas was caught staring into its soulless eyes. Then it raised its fist for one final strike. There was no way Roxas could counter it.

 _This is it._ Though it was futile, Roxas still braced his arms in front of himself. He squeezed his eyes shut as he prepared for the oncoming blow.

Suddenly, there was a flash of red light. Roxas blinked and found the Darkside had fallen short in front of him, two sabres of red light burning in the back of it’s head. But the only Nobodie who wielded such weapons was…

“Chief Xemnas?” Roxas panted.

The leader of their village towered over the fallen heartless, simply striding through its fading form and pulling his weapons from the shadow. The darkness swirled around him. He must have had some ward up, because instead of getting soaked, the rain simply ran off him. He wore a jagged studded armour, marred by the scars of countless battles.

Roxas took a shaky breath “Uhh, thank you, Sir…”

“Roxas.” The leader’s voice rumbled like low thunder.

“Um… yes sir?” Roxas swallowed.

“You seem to be causing us trouble.” Xemnas peered down at him through narrow eyes. “You should watch yourself.”

He turned, and left Roxas standing there in the broken alleyway. The faint light of morning beginning to illuminate the clouds above. The battles in the village seemed to have died down as the heartless vanished with the dark. An uneasy quiet settled around him. Nothing but the light patter of the passing storm.

Roxas’ knees gave out beneath him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated. 
> 
> Special thanks to Ave and HouseofSannae for beta reading this chapter and providing some great feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

_So, they put me in charge of Roxas today._

_I’m not sure why but, I guess after the last guy went up in flames in the last attack, maybe they needed someone more fireproof?_

_The kid’s alright. Yesterday he finally got my name memorised. He’s quiet and doesn’t seem to have a lot in his head. At least he hasn’t gotten himself into trouble yet._

 

 

Axel found him as he was trying to make his way back to the smithy.

“No Axel, you don’t understand, I actually hit one,” Roxas said backing away from an Axel who looked like he wanted to strangle him.

“Oh really?” Axel’s voice was dripping in venom. He flexed his fingers in an agitated twitch. “You actually hit one, did you?”

“Yes I did. It disappeared into the valley. But if we look for it…”

“Look for what?” Demyx called over from where he was supposed to be shovelling debris. “Your missing brain cells?”

The rest of the NITs had been relegated to clean up duty. At the moment they were clearing up rubble for reuse. Most of the broken housing was used for one thing or another. Glass was remelted. Broken brick used for cobblestone. With nightly intrusions happening, often as they were, new material was hard to come by.

“No.” Roxas shot him a look. “A Heartless. I hit a Night fury.”

“Oh wow this time it’s a Night fury.” Larxene piped up. “Look at that. The little twerp is moving up in the world.”

“But I actually did. I even summoned my own weapon to do it.” Roxas was cut off by Axel’s heavy arm around his shoulders.

“I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day,” he growled as he steered Roxas down a well beaten path. “We better get back to your hut before you pass out.”

“Come on Axel.” Roxas struggled out of his grip. “We have to search for it now.”

“Roxas, please.” Axel made another grab for him but Roxas ducked under a low bar. Behind it was a small alcove where it was hard for the fuming redhead to reach him. They eyed each other from either side.

“You’re not listening.” Roxas barked back, now that there was space between them.

“ _I’m_ not listening?” Axel voice raised. “That’s funny coming from someone who I _told_ to _stay_ in the smithy!”

“But, I…” Roxas’ jaw worked as he thought of something to say.

“Look. Don’t you think you’ve caused enough damage for one night?” Axel cast an arm to the southern beacon. It was rather hard to miss the distinctive trail of broken houses caused by the Darkside’s pursuit of Roxas. He watched as a balcony creaked and fell away from its bracings. It nearly landed on a Nobody who spent the next thirty seconds swearing profusely.

 _You seem to be causing us trouble._ Xemnas’ words echoed in his mind.

He hung his head. “I… guess.”

“Are you going to come out now?”

Roxas ducked back under the bar and stood there, staring at the mud on his clothes. Axel considered him for a moment. He shook his head, muttering something under his breath. He shoved him in the direction of his house.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Aww baby’s going to be put in time out.” Larxene jeered at him as he trudged past, idly leaning on her rake for support.

“Careful.” Demyx nudged her. “He might come get you with his “ _Mysterious Weapon_ ””

“Oh please,” she scoffed and flicked him between the eyes. “That brat couldn’t summon a fork.”

Roxas considered rebutting them, but with Axel glaring down the back of his neck, he decided otherwise. As he walked away he heard Zexion asking if his teammates would actually focus on cleaning. Their arguing echoed behind them, as Axel marched him down the street.

 

\---

 

The rain had stopped by the time they reached the street where Roxas stayed. The skies were still overcast, giving the morning a wonderful gloomy vibe. The sea was visible here. The distant waves crashed against the craggy rocks offshore. White foam caked the rocks. In the distance the docks jutted out from the cliff base. The barnacle encrusted wood barely standing against the pounding water.

The passed down another street of miserable looking houses before finding the one belonging to Roxas.

The building Roxas lived in was nothing to look at.

Well, nothing to look at but ash and a pile of charcoal.

They stood for a moment, taking in the damage. It wasn’t like there was much there before it got destroyed. You could hardly have called it a house. It really had just been a small shack. Barely large enough to squeeze a bed in one corner. The woodwork had several holes that were barely patched up with a loose sheet. The roof used to leak and, because flooring was something reserved for “actual” Nobodies, Roxas got to experience mud inside and out. Many cold nights had been spent there, shivering in the cold.

But something still felt hollow in Roxas as he stared at the smouldering remains. Maybe it was the fact that the shack was the only place on the island he could call his own. And even that was temporary.

Carefully he made his way through the remains of the doorway. His bed was firewood, but it was what was under it he was more concerned about. He shifted a couple of the pieces. They crumbled in his hands. Digging through the dirt he felt his hands curl around a familiar shape. Pulling it up revealed a small, black, leather-bound book.

His diary. Every Nobody got one. He wasn’t sure why, most Nobodies preferred skull smacking to actual reading, but Roxas took comfort in his. When he had first come to the isle it was somewhere where he could write his thoughts without forgetting them. He peeled the front cover open.

The ink had run.

_So much for that._

He heard Axel whistle behind him.

“Man, they really did a number on this place didn’t they?” He inspected the doorframe. The weight of his hand must have been too much for it because, it came down a second later, much to Axel’s surprise, and he yelped as he dodged out of the way.

Roxas watched the last of his shack fall away. Now all he had was a half-baked book. Axel glanced at him, then the broken doorway, then back at him. He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“Fine, I guess you can stay at my place again.”

Roxas blinked.

“You’d let me?”

Axel didn’t look at him as he waved dismissively. “Sure, just stop trying to make a habit of it.”

“Oh, thank you.” Roxas jogged to catch up with him. He fell into step beside him. When Axel glanced at him he gave a small smile.

“Hey it’s only till you get your own house back,” he warned him. But the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

They made their way back up the mismatched stairs to the more occupied streets of the village. Houses were still smouldering here and there. A wall might be lying across the street. Chimney collapsed across another. And all through it were the hustle of Nobodies lifting resources and whacking nails into reused wood.

They made another turn and found themselves outside Axel’s home. It was much larger than Roxas’ even if it still was only one room. The brickwork was more complete, like actual effort had been put into making it. The door was busted in but after a couple minutes of careful manoeuvring they more or less had it in place.

“Well that should do it for now.” Axel wiped his hands. “Just make sure you don’t tip it over when going in or out.”

He proceeded to squeeze through the small gap they had left between the door and the frame. Roxas followed him, making sure to keep the unhinged door steady as he did so. When he walked inside his boots clunked on the stone flooring. In the corner lay Axel’s bed. Sheets were strewn haphazardly across it. A bench and a small set of draws rested nearby. In the centre of the room opposite the door lay a fireplace. It was black and dusty with a small pile of wood lying nearby. On the other side of the room a selection of drop cloths lay.

“You know the rules.” Axel bundled one of the cloths up and tossed it at Roxas. “No using the fireplace while I’m gone. Shoes off at the door. And don’t even think about sleeping in my bed.”

“Yeah I know.” Roxas caught the sheet with his face as he kicked his boots off. Unfolding it he walked over to the corner of the room he hooked one end up to a nail on the wall. Then he tied the other end to a rope hanging from the centre beam to make a sort of hammock. The rest of the sheets on the floor were what he would be using for sleep.  He gathered them up, placing one like a pillow at the end of the hammock. The other he draped over the setup before clambering into it.

He settled there among the musty smells and curled around his diary. Facing the wall. Axel hummed as he inspected the state of the house. Running a hand over the creaking walls.

“Well, I think she’ll stand for now.” He dusted of his hands. “The door will need to be fixed later.”

Roxas didn’t reply. A silence drew out between them. It was broken again by Axel.

“Well, they’re gonna need me out there so, I’ll let you hold the fort.” He waited for Roxas to make some noise of acknowledgement. But he stayed still, counting the cracks in the wall.

After a minute he heard Axel sigh before the shuffle of him passing through the doorway. Roxas waited another minute while he listened to the faint sound of voices outside. Then another five minutes after his footsteps had faded away. It was only after he was sure he had been left alone that he then moved.

He fell to the floor, foot snagged in a hole in the sheets. He cursed rubbing, his elbow. Struggling to his feet he slipped his diary into the pocket of his jacket before reaching for his boots. He pulled them on and peered out behind the broken door. The street was clear apart from a few Nobodies hanging around the far end. He made sure to check they weren’t looking before he slipped away. Keeping an eye on the tree line he scurried his way through the streets to the forest beyond.

He had a Heartless to find.

 

\---

 

“I’m starting to think you’re not talking your job seriously.”

Axel suppressed a groan as he turned to face a familiar figure behind him. The warrior was donned in a simple but effective silver amour. A large scar dragged across his face, tearing the tissue of his nose. His rugged hair flowed freely down his back, stream of icy blue. It matched his nature that way. Much like the hard yellow eyed glare he was giving him.

“Saïx,” Axel forced a smile. “And what tragedy has befallen you, that you must invade my company?”

“Your failure to keep Roxas in check again.” Saïx tilted his head. “I already told you last time that it was your final warning.”

 “Well, what do you expect me to do when he doesn’t listen?” Axel threw his arms in the air, “He’s not an empty husk anymore. He doesn’t take nicely to being held up on the sidelines. Surely you can’t expect me to watch him twenty-four seven?”

“Your job was to make sure he doesn’t make a nuisance of himself and the rest of the village. That is always your first priority.” He frowned. “I don’t see why you’re so keen for heroics on the battlefield.”

“Well maybe cause babysitting kids just isn’t my thing anymore.” Axel sighed and shoved past him, their armoured shoulders clanking. “What are you going to do about it? Tell on me to Chief Xemnas?”

“I’m afraid he has already been informed by Roxas himself.”

Axel slowed and turned to glance back at Saïx. The yellow-eyed warrior held his gaze. He looked away and swore, glaring at the mud beneath his feet. He heard Saïx’s footsteps on the gravel as he passed him.

“A meeting will be held at noon. I suggest you turn up on time, so not to further tarnish your reputation.” And with that Saïx continued on his way. Axel watched the back of his amour as he climbed the stairs and disappeared around into the streets. He stayed there a moment longer before sighing and running a hand through his hair.

“I need a drink.”

 

\---

 

“Morning Axel.” Luxord stood behind the tavern counter placing fallen drinking-ware back on the shelves. The Nobody’s amour was light, leather-bound, the fabric forming loose folds on his arms. A long stylised, moustache framed the sides of his mouth which was probably his most striking feature. The top of his blond hair was shaved short. Several silver loops winked in his ears.

“You serving?” Axel shut the door behind him. The Tavern was lit by several torches, the hearth at centre of the room however was still cold. It looked like most of the damage was minimal. The glass windows had already been broken last time. And the furniture was still intact.

“Take a seat and I’ll be with you in a minute.” Luxord gave a vague gesture around the room and returned to cleaning the counter.

Axel pulled up an overturned stool by the hearth. After chucking a couple logs in the large metal basin, he snapped his fingers and they became engulfed in flame, the smoke rising into a low hanging chimney. He sat there warming his hands while listening to Luxord hum.

“Busy night.” The tavern keeper spoke up as he put away the last couple tankards.

“Probably my last,” Axel muttered staring into the fire, watching the wood smoulder away.

Luxord raised an eyebrow. “Roxas I assume.”

“Yep,” Axel leaned back, “Even better, he managed to run into Chief Xemnas himself this time.”

He heard Luxord whistle before the sound of him filling a tankard. He walked over and set it on the table near him.

“Here, have it on the house.” He dusted off his hands and returned to the bar. “I would suggest having only one before the meeting.”

Axel stared into the broth before him contemplating all the horrible ways the meeting could go.

“Thanks, mate.” He took a long chug.

 

\---

 

The Meeting Hall was the same building as the Dining Hall. Which was the same building as the Sleeping Hall, where many of the now homeless Nobodies slept. Axel had stayed there a few times himself. It was also home to a variety of activities such as indoor axe throwing, birthday parties and morning yoga when it was raining outside (which it was most days).

Axel watched the trickle of Nobodies leave through the heavy double doors with their yoga mats tucked under their arms. Many of them looking more refreshed. Nothing like a good Downward Dog to recover from a night of fighting heartless.

After the crowd had left he made his way inside. The room opened out into a massive hall. The arching ceiling was held by massive stone pillars, each carved with intricate details of Nobodies slaughtering heartless. Axel leaned against one of these as he surveyed the room.

There was still an hour before the meeting but some Nobodies had already begun to gather. He watched them absentmindedly as they set out the long table where the Chief would address the horde. Also sitting at that table would be his trusted advisers. The Nobodies who enforced his law throughout the village.

Speaking of whom…

He spotted the blue haired warrior from across the hall. It didn’t surprise him that Saïx was here early. You could turn up to a meeting five minutes before it started and he would still consider you late. Their eyes met for a brief moment. His expression was impossible to read from this distance, but he did notice the slight dip in his head as he acknowledged Axel’s presence. He wondered if he had put in a good word for him while Chief Xemnas decided what his fate was. He supposed he’d find out when the meeting started.

As the hour passed more Nobodies trickled in. Most meetings weren’t necessarily mandatory, unless specifically summoned like Axel was. Most of the time they were just reports of the damage from the attacks in the night. But as more Nobodies filled the hall he became concerned about the sheer number of them. Almost two hundred and the meeting didn’t start for another fifteen minutes. They couldn’t all be here for insurance claims.

Subconsciously he searched for Saïx in the crowd. Perhaps to ask him what was going on, but he was talking with the other higher-ups at the long table. Axel sighed and lent back against the pillar. Looks like he was going to find out the same as the others.

When Chief Xemnas walked into the room, a hush fell over the mob of chatting Nobodies. A couple still murmured quietly as they finished of their conversations. Despite the magnitude of the battle that had just hit their village the Chief hardly had a nick or scratch to mar him. Axel studied him from the back as he confided with the other Nobodies at the long table. After another five minutes he stood and addressed the crowd.

This time the hall was completely silent as his voice resonated through the room.

“Greetings, Nobodies of the Isle. I am sure many of you wish to why you have been summoned here today. And you will find out in due time. But first, formalities must be held first...”

And it was at about this point that Axel tuned out. It was all the same as usual. First he’d blab on about the great kingdom hearts and how many hearts they had collected. Of course he’s never give numbers. He liked to keep things vague usually wouldn’t say anything more direct than, “We must focus on collecting more hearts” or “Better defences need to be put in place.” Or something along those lines.

A few latecomers were still squeezing their way through the double doors and settling at the back. There must have been about three hundred Nobodies in the hall before Xemnas had finished the collateral report. He was then replaced by a Nobody called Vexen, who proceeded to prattle on for the next half hour about his experiments. Synthesising Heartless.

 _Why would we want even more Heartless?_ Axel had always thought that the old alchemist was weird to begin with. But his insistent need to find a way to create new Heartless while Nobodies were dying out on the battle field fighting them, left him with a strange itch. Axel supposed the feeling could have been irritation if he actually had the heart to feel it.

He straightened when he saw Chief Xemnas rise to address the crowd again.

“Now to those who have been summoned here,” He cast an eye around the room. “You have all been chosen for an important mission.”

Axel frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that.

“For too long our village has been attacked by these troublesome Heartless. After the return of some promising reconnaissance, we plan to send a group of noble warriors to seek out the Mother Nest of the Heartless, and destroy it.”

The hall was silent. This wasn’t the first time a mission like this had been made. And the success of those previous missions…

Axel blinked, desperately hoping that he wasn’t going to be caught up in this. That Xemnas would finish speaking and then address Axel and tell him something like, he’d be on cleaning duty for a month. Or maybe two. It would be a much better punishment than this.

But as Saïx began to call the role of Nobodies required on the mission those hopes were dashed. His name was called pretty early. It was alphabetical after all. Saïx didn’t even glance up from the paper when he read it. Axel supposed he must have already known before the meeting started.

The gears in Axel’s head were turning too loudly to pay attention to the rest. He barely registered the comment saying that they would be leaving tomorrow. Glancing around he saw that quite a few of the Nobodies were nodding along like they knew all of this already. When had this been organised? Axel ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he shouldn’t skip meetings so often.

The rest of the gathering passed in a blur. He tuned out completely as soon as the Chief was done talking. So he had been put on a suicide mission. Did Xemnas think that little of him? That he would be better off flung at the heartless instead of defending the village? He was surprised Saïx would be okay with that. Actually now that he thought about it, it was probably his idea in the first place. A few swear words ran through his mind.

For a moment a trail of his thought drifted over to Roxas. His thinking about his almost imminent death paused. What was the kid going to do? Axel was probably the only Nobody that actually looked out for him. Mainly cause it was his job. But with Axel gone and Roxas getting bolder by the day, it was only a matter of time before the kid ran headfirst into a very messy end. Probably one with lots of blood.

Axel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to feel. Grateful that he didn’t have to look after the kid anymore? Or disappointed that the last few months of work, time and investment, was probably not going to last another week?

He was still thinking about this after the meeting had finished and most of the other Nobodies had already left. He glanced up to see Saïx talking to Vexen over by the long table. The beginning of an idea came to him. He headed over, catching the last of their conversation as he approached.

“Look, it’s more like a final test run, really.” The alchemist was saying. “A controlled environment before we put it in the field.”

“Look, Vexen,” Saïx began to speak but noticed Axel standing behind them. “May we continue this conversation at a later time? I’ll meet you at your lab in an hour.”

Vexen looked like he was going to protest but upon seeing Axel he decided to shut up. Axel didn’t really care about his ramblings anyway. He stormed off grumbling about how no one takes him seriously.

“So,” Saïx turned back to his notes. “Axel. And what tragedy has befallen you that you now seek my company? Oh wait, let me guess.”

“Har, har,” Axel grumbled, “Actually no, I came to ask you a favour about Roxas-“

“No.”

“Wh- you don’t even know what I’m going to say!”

“You were going to ask me to train Roxas,” Saïx replied without even giving him a glance.

“… Well okay, you got lucky. But-”

“Look,” Saïx turned to face him, “Roxas is not fit for my training. He wouldn’t last the day.”

“Oh come on. He’s been here long enough. He needs to start learning actual survival skills.” When Saïx looked like he was about to refute him he tried a different tact. “And hey, if he just so happens to be accidentally taken out, then you don’t have to worry about him causing trouble.”

Axel began to wonder if he should be worried that Saïx was actually considering this.

“Fine,” Saïx concluded shuffling his papers. “I will pass on the proposal to Xemnas. If he survives his first session, then I will continue to train him.”

“Great.” Axel decided to interpret the “if” as a “when”. “Then I just have one other question-“

“Details about your mission are better discussed in private. I will consult you tomorrow morning, sunrise, you know where to meet.” And he left before Axel could put a word in edgewise.

 _Well,_ Thought Axel as he turned around and made his way to the main entrance. _I better see how the kid is doing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoooh longer chapter than I expected, didn't mean for it to take this long.  
> Big thanks to HouseofSannae for Beta reading.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated. :)


	3. Chapter 3

_No one ever believes me._

_At first I thought it was because I was new, and they didn’t think much of me. But the longer I’ve been around, the more I find the other Nobodies blaming me for things going wrong._

_I don’t know what I need to do to make them listen._

 

 

Roxas cursed as he tripped over some hidden root and face planted into the earth. He snorted as a puddle of water seemed to shoot up his nose. Coughing, he righted himself and glanced around at his surroundings. His diary had been flung into a thorny bush; at least he could take comfort in the fact it didn’t get wet. Unlike the other three times.

“Oh, the gods must hate me,” he grumbled as he plucked it out of the thorns, scratching his hand. “I mean this really tops it all off. Losing my diary writing, my shack-house-thing, and now only the most powerful heartless in the world!”

He struck out at the bush with his boot but that only allowed his leg to get stuck. Caught off balance, he ended up plunging right into it, barely able to raise his arms to protect his face. He landed with a loud cracking thud.

“…Oww.”

 _Now I’m in trouble,_ Roxas thought as he blinked the tears of pain out of his eyes. Any movement sent sharp spikes into his skin. He managed to pull his arms from his face and get a glance at his bearings. There seemed to be a slight gap between the bush’s branches and the soil beneath them. Not big enough to fit through comfortably but enough that Roxas could probably struggle his way out.

He inched forward, feeling the tug on his clothes as the thorns pried at them. He managed to drag himself from the bush, somehow losing his jacket on the way. He was about to turn around and get it when he noticed the area he had crawled into.

The tree branches were snapped and broken, strewn about on the ground. The further he looked the more apparent that this was a very distinct path of destruction. Even the ground bore scars that ran through the mud.

Curious Roxas stood up and followed the trail. The further he when the more his heart rate started to rise. Thoughts swirled in his head. What if this was left by the Night Fury? What if it wasn’t? What if it was a trap?

He found his answer when he rounded a bolder and found himself staring the Heartless right in the face.

He yelped, voice probably much higher than he would want anyone to hear, and scrambled back behind the bolder. His heart was somewhere in his throat and his stomach seemed to have dropped to the centre of the earth. After a full minute of hyperventilating he managed to pry himself away from the spot and glance back around the bolder.

This time it was staring at him. He froze. Completely unsure of what to do. He was caught by the yellow glare of the most feared Heartless throughout the Isle. When the creature still didn’t move he finally broke his gaze, taking in the rest of the scene.

The Night Fury was lying on its side, seemingly pinned by something Roxas couldn’t identify yet. The Heartless was big, perhaps not as big as a Monstrous Nightmare but it had a certain presence about it.  Like if he were to look away it would suddenly snap at him and he’d never see it coming. Looking at its body was like looking into a void. Dark patterns shifted across its shadowy form. Sometimes the Heartless shuddered and it would flicker uneasily, as if about to fade away.

Roxas stood there for a full minute, gaping at the beast before him. Yes, this was a real Night Fury. Yes, he had indeed found one.

An unknown sensation welled up in him.

“I… I just… I don’t believe it…” he stammered looking down on the Heartless. “A Night Fury. A real Night Fury. This is insane!”

He wasn’t sure how long he was celebrating for but a sudden groan from the Night Fury nearly sent him halfway up the nearest tree.

“Okay… okay, okay.” Roxas calmed himself down and took a better look at it.

Now that he noticed he saw that there were eerie black wires that were wrapping around the Heartless. He blinked in surprise. He knew those kinds of wires. He had be asked to help make them in the Smithy. The barbed black tendrils weren’t made from normal metal, they had been specifically made to harm and wound the Heartless. Designed to prevent them from warping away when bound in them. They were used in ambush traps, to snag any Heartless foolish enough to stumble into them.

Roxas had helped make them, and now they held a real Heartless in them.

He thought perhaps he should be feeling more excited than this, or feeling whatever feeling a Nobody could feel in this moment. But instead he felt hollow. He gazed at the gouges in the Heartless’ skin, and compared them to the scrapes and cuts covering his own. He couldn’t tell what emotion he was supposed to be feeling.

“I did this…” he murmured. Not sure to who. Himself? The Heartless? No one?

The Night Fury moaned again, shifting slightly against its restraints. It sounded completely different from last night, where its screeches would make every Nobody duck and cover. Here it was just alone and exposed. With nothing to do except wait to die.

Roxas stepped forward without really thinking, taking hold of one of the wires. It seemed to burn under his fingers, not hurting him, but almost like electricity was running through them. He pulled out a small tool from his belt. It was essentially a lighter, but more powerful. He had to use it in the smithy when making small tweaks to certain wires or pipes. It relied on the user’s magic to power it, so it was also a way of building up Roxas’ mana stamina.

He held it to the wire. It began to grow hot in his hand, the small flame at the tip glowing, brighter and brighter, until it was an almost invisible blue. The wire started to spark as the flame heated it. The Night Fury growled and tried to pull away.

“Hold on, almost there,” Roxas murmured.

The wire snapped with a decisive spark before smoking rather pathetically. Roxas didn’t even take a moment to breathe before starting on the next one. This one went a little faster as he now knew just the right position to hold the flame in order to melt the wire the fastest. Another flash and the wire broke again. The Heartless beneath him was starting to get restless.

“Please hold still,” Roxas whispered, or maybe it sounded more like “please don’t eat me.”

Another chain snapped open. He was halfway through the fourth when the heartless surged beneath him.

It flung him backwards. For a terrifying moment his feet left the ground, before he slammed backwards into a boulder. His head cracked painfully against it. He was just blinking stars out of his eyes when the Night Fury grounded its claws on either side of him. For a moment he was caught by the full strength of its glare. The glow of its electric yellow eyes sparking the memory of a feeling he never knew existed.

A more experienced Nobody would recognise it as terror.

The Night Fury opened its maw. A row of jagged teeth greeted him. The back of the throat began to glow with a purple light. A familiar screech began to fill Roxas’ ears.

The roar that followed was deafening. Hot air surged past him and he squeezed his eyes tight. Waiting for it to stop. Waiting for the end. Waiting for death.

But it never came.

The Night Fury turned and fled, still trailing the snagged barbed wire behind it. It crashed off into the distance, its cries slowly fading until it was lost in the rustle of the trees. It was gone. Roxas was still alive.

And for the second time that day Roxas’ knees gave out beneath him.

 

\---

 

It was the rain that woke Roxas up. The light drops beginning to patter on the ground around him. He groaned as he pulled himself up, taking a weary look at his surroundings. Somehow he was still surprised that he was in the small battered clearing. Then slowly the events that took place, now hours ago, collated in his mind.

A Night Fury. He had found a real Night Fury. Hurt and wounded because of him.

And he had let it go.

He sighed and sat back, letting the rain wash the mud from his still cut up arms and face. Blinking his eyes open, he gazed a while at the gloomy sky. Before long a nagging thought crept up in the back of his mind.

How long was he out for? How long had he been gone?

He cursed as he scrambled to his feet. He couldn’t tell where the sun was because of the rainclouds. It could be anywhere from late morning to early evening. He stumbled his way back behind the boulder. His diary was lying there; he must have dropped it when the Night Fury startled him. He scooped it up. It was well and truly soaked now. All his memories he had written down were gone.

He clutched it as he shuffled back the way he had come. This time he went around the bramble bushes instead of through them. Though he did unsnag his coat and shrug it on.

The way back to the village was long and winding. Mostly because Roxas had set out on a rather haphazard path to search for the Night Fury in the first place. He came across a patch of boulders that looked vaguely familiar and went left from there. There was kind of a path to follow, he just hoped it would lead him in the right direction.

His mood wasn’t helped when he started to notice it was visibly getting darker. This made him increase his pace. Desperate to get home before it became too dark to navigate. Or too dark for Heartless to bother hiding anymore. The longer he walked, the darker it got, the faster he travelled, the more mistakes he made. Soon he was fleeing through the forest stumbling and tripping over every root and rabbit hole. The trees seemed to grab at him, scratching his face. It was now so dark he could no longer see more than a few trees in from of him. Still, onward he ran.

He thought he was done for. That he would have to hunker down somewhere till morning. But he caught sight of a familiar light before him. The southern beacon stood, a lone light high above the village. He had made it.

Roxas didn’t stop running until he had made it past the first few houses, then he slowed to a brisk walk. Safe among a village of well-trained barbaric Nobodies. But his enthusiasm drained when he thought about what would be waiting for him back at Axel’s. Oh boy, he was going to be pissed.

 

Through his walk to the dreaded house Roxas had desperately hoped that Axel wouldn’t be home. That perhaps he had been suddenly called on some mission, or attending some meeting, or that the Heartless would suddenly attack and he would be called out to battle. Anywhere but the place he was now standing in front of.

But of course he wouldn’t be that lucky.

Roxas stood outside the house for a very long time, chewing the inside of his cheek. A very distinct stream of smoke puffed out of the haphazard chimney. The light from inside seeped out the still broken door.

He steeled himself and walked in, hoping to at least arrive with dignity. But that notion was ruined by catching his foot on the door as he tried to squeeze past it. It wobbled and for a moment he thought it might land on him and crush him then and there, but a lanky arm reached out and held it steady.

Axel barely gave him a glance as Roxas picked himself up. He tried to work up the courage to thank him but instead all that came out was a quiet, “I’m sorry.”

Axel didn’t reply, which was scary. Roxas was sure he’d be in for an earful for sneaking out yet again. But the warrior simply strode back over to his bed and plopped down into it, idly leaning back and absentmindedly picking something from his toes. Roxas kicked his shoes off and shuffled his way over to his hammock. The silence between them was only broken by the crackling of the fire.

Roxas took a deep breath,

“Axel, can I ask…”

He stopped as he realised that both he and Axel had spoken at the same time. A second passed and they just stood there staring at each other waiting for the other to speak.

“Sorry, you go first,” Roxas finally spoke, stuffing his ruined diary into the hammock.

“No, no, you were saying?” Axel sat back on the bed.

“Please, it’s nothing,” Roxas insisted.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, really.”

“You sure, you’re sure?”

“Axel…”

“You sure, you’re sure, you’re su-“

“Axel!”

“Okay, okay.” Axel leaned back stretching, probably searching for a way to phrase what he was going to say. “Well… I was able to talk to Saïx today. He’s agreed to let you train to fight the Heartless.”

A second passed, then two…

Roxas eventually spoke. “Iiii… really should have spoken first.” Axel made a ‘what did I say?’ gesture, but Roxas ignored it. “Look Axel, I can’t kill Heartless.”

“Well obviously.” Axel rolled his eyes “They’d kill you first.”

“No I mean,” he tried again, “I think it would really be better if… maybe I didn’t… well, I mean we have enough Heartless-killing Nobodies, right? But what if we had more… bread-making Nobodies…?”

“You burned half the village down on your second day.”

“Only once,” Roxas objected.

“Yeah, the only reason you haven’t done that since we changed you to a black-smith apprentice, is ‘cause that building practically indestructible.” Axel stared him down.

“Okay so maybe not bread-making but, you know, something I can do to be useful… away from the battlefield.”

“Roxas…” Axel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You need to be able to defend yourself.”

“I can do that plenty,” Roxas huffed. “I’m still around aren’t I?”

“And one day there isn’t going to be a Nobody nearby to save you!” Axel suddenly snapped. He stood, towering over him. “What are you going to do then? Disappear?”

“I- well, I…“ Roxas stammered. A thought flashed in the back of his mind “Maybe I would. Why would you care?”

Axel blinked. He took a step back, turning to gaze into the fire. “Well…” he shuffled back to the bed and sat on it. “I care ‘cause… I think we’re friends.”

“’Friends’?” Roxas frowned. “What’s ‘friends’?”

“Well friends are…” Axel hummed for a moment. “Friends are people you hang out with, laugh together about stupid things, make fun of each other and… well they look out for each other.”

Roxas thought about that. Could he call Axel his friend? He’d never had a friend before, he couldn’t really say. At least he could kinda understand what Axel was saying. The quips they exchanged, letting Roxas have a place to crash when his house got destroyed. Having Axel watching over him wasn’t the worst, considering the other Nobodies he had to put up with, but still…

“You only look after me because it’s your job.” Roxas crossed his arms.

“Not anymore.” Axel shook his head. “I’m leaving on a mission tomorrow.”

“What?” Roxas felt thrown off. “Why? How come?”

Axel didn’t answer, instead he seemed to find the floor more interesting to look at. Roxas suddenly realised that his run-in with the village Chief may not have gone as unnoticed as he had hoped.

“Axel, I’m sor-“

“Look, what’s done is done.” Axel held up a hand to stop him. “But before you go, I want to ask you to at least _try_. Please? I’m asking you as a friend.”

Roxas wasn’t sure how to respond. He felt like if he didn’t agree to do training, he’d ruin this ‘friendship’ thing between him and Axel before he even understood it.

“Fine… I’ll do it.”

Axel visibly relaxed, settling back into the bed.

“Thank you.” He studied Roxas’ bedraggled form. “You should get some rest now, you’re going to need it for tomorrow.”

Realising how tired he was, Roxas agreed that sleep sounded like a great idea. He shrugged off his coat and hung it on a rack near the fire. Next was the awkward climb into the hammock be thought he handle it fairly well this time. He only fell once.

Once settled into the creaking sling he pulled his blankets over himself. No one bothered calling ‘lights out’ because the only source of light in the room was the fire in the fireplace. Axel hadn’t bothered getting into bed properly yet and lay there staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. Roxas wondered what he was thinking.

“Goodnight, Axel,” He murmured and twisted to face the wall.

It wasn’t until he had almost drifted to sleep before he heard a quiet,

“ ‘night, Roxas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Toothless enters the story. Obviously there are going to be some slight changes between movie Toothless and this one (being a Heartless and all), but we'll get more into that at a later chapter.
> 
> Also, I've decided on a system. I'll try to update this every fortnight, (plus or minus a day or two).  
> If you like it so far, feel free to let me know. 
> 
> Big thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

_I’m always being held back._

_I don’t know why. Axel says I can’t fight because I’m not ready. But there are other Nobodies who are being trained to fight. If they’re being taught how to fight Heartless why can’t I?_

_To kill Heartless. That’s why Nobodies exist, right?_

 

 

Axel yawned as he scuffed his way through the village streets. The early morning air was crisp and stung the back of his throat. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but it was light enough for him to see his path. A light drizzle sprinkled his hair as he walked. His clothes were still damp from yesterday, even after spending a night hanging in front of the fire. That’s the trouble during the rainy season. Your clothes are either constantly a cold drenched or a warm damp.

Axel ducked into a side alleyway. It was shadowed by an overpass to one of the beacons, creating a small secluded area, hard to see from the outside. He sighed and leaned against a post of one of the buildings.

“You’re late.”

It didn’t really surprise Axel that Saïx had gotten here first. The warrior stepped out of the shadows, eyeing him critically.

“It’s not even sunrise yet,” Axel jabbed back, but he was still too tired to really care at the moment. If Saïx was irked by his comment he didn’t let it show. “So, what did you need to tell me about this mission?”

 “I’m sure you are familiar with the mission leader?” he began.

“Who, Pinky?” Axel raised an eyebrow, “Yeah sure, he owes me a few drinks from the Tavern, why?”

“Because your Mission is to make Marluxia disappear.” Saïx held his gaze when Axel gave him an incredulous stare.

“You… want me to kill him.” He asked tentatively.

Saïx shrugged. “Whether you kill him, or an unfortunate accident happens, I want you to ensure that Marluxia doesn’t make it back to this village.”

Axel narrowed his eyes, considering his words. “I assume this order came from Chief Xemnas himself?”

Now it was Saïx’s turn to frown. “If you must know, it has been suspected for quite some time that Marluxia has been planning to betray the village. He has already been observed hoarding hearts of his own. He himself is not sure what to do with them, but he has plans. If those plans were to follow through, it would be dire for Kingdom Hearts.” He tilted his head, “Is that satisfactory enough for you?”

“Almost.” Axel crossed his arms. “Where are you getting this information from?”

“That is none of your concern,” Saïx scowled.

“Oh really?” Axel returned the look. “How can I be sure that he doesn’t know I’m on to him?”

“Because that is why we put you on this mission,” Saïx replied. “He doesn’t know you, you don’t know him. The most you’ve ever done is challenged each other to a few drinking games in the tavern. You’re just another face in the crowd to him. He’ll never suspect you.”

Axel considered this. He considered the whole ordeal as well. Hey, look on the bright side, at least he wasn’t put on a suicide mission for nothing.

“So, I just have to make sure he can never betray the Org?”

“Exactly,” Saïx nodded.

“By whatever means necessary,” Axel sighed as he turned to leave. “Always put on the icky jobs, aren’t I?”

“And also, Axel,” Saïx called after him. When Axel glance back he was facing him side on. “Please ensure your own return. It would be a shame if the village were to lose a warrior like you.”

Axel blinked, then his lips drew into a smirk.

“Yeah sure, whatever.” And he strode out of the alleyway and into the streets, now illuminated by the morning sun.

 

\---

 

It was cold when Roxas woke up. A beam of sunlight was shining through a hole in the roof. _They should really get that fixed some time_ , he thought wearily.  His whole body groaned when he twisted in the hammock. To say he was sore was a bit of an understatement. The early morning the day before meant that he was double tired, not to mention the cuts and scrapes, that he had gained from running around the forest yesterday, didn’t help much either.

Looking around the room he saw that the fireplace had died down, though there were still a couple red embers buried in the ash. Axel’s bed was empty, the sheet tucked into some state between being made and being slept in. His armour was also gone. This make Roxas wake up a bit. Did Axel already leave?

He fell out of the hammock, mostly because he found it was the fastest way to get down, and totally not cause his foot got snagged again. He shoved on his boots and grabbed his jacket before squeezing out past the door.

He stumbled through the streets, wiping the sleep from his eyes. The path down to the docks were rocky and broken up by steep sets of stairs. In his rush Roxas could proudly say he only slipped and fell twice. Once he reached the bottom he scanned the crowd of busy Nobodies. They were all prepping ships and loading provisions, setting up the fleet for travel. The worn longboats bumped against their moors in rhythm to the waves. The low tide meant that the waves were subdued for now.

“Axel!?” Roxas called as he made his way through the docks. The red headed warrior was nowhere to be seen. “Axel!”

He ignored the curious looks he got from a few of the Nobodies he passed. They were probably wondering why he was looking for Axel instead of running away from him.

“Axel!” He called again just short of one of the gangplanks to a ship. He was tempted to search on board but he knew he wouldn’t be allowed. Instead he continued down the docks calling his name. He had almost given up when he heard a voice behind him.

“You called?” Roxas whirled round to find Axel looking down on him, a large sack hoisted over his shoulder. He studied him with a raised brow. “What’s up?”

“I, well… I thought you were going to leave without saying goodbye.” Roxas tried not to sound defensive. He thought Axel might find the notion of saying farewell stupid.

“Oh, my bad,” Axel set down the sack he was carrying, to Roxas’ surprise. He stretched as he rolled his shoulders. “I was called out early and then roped into helping load the ships. You were asleep when I left so I didn’t think to wake you.”

“Oh, okay,” Roxas replied. They stood there while, the silence between them almost masked by the shouts and grunts of the Nobodies around them. “Um… so like… Goodbye, I guess?”

“Right,” Axel scratched the back of his head. “Goodbye. I guess.”

Silence.

“Oh by the way,” Axel picked up his sack again. “Feel free to stay at my place while they fix up your hut.”

“Oh really?” Roxas blinked, “Thanks.”

“Eh, it’s fine. Just remember the rules,” He pointed a finger, “No-“

“No starting fires. No messing up the place. And why would I even want to sleep in your smelly bed?” Roxas finished for him.

“All right Smart Alec,” Axel reached over to tousle his hair roughly, “How about a special rule while I’m away?” He stopped and looked as Roxas seriously. “You promise me you’ll actually take this Heartless training seriously.”

“I…” Roxas was still rather unenthusiastic about the whole ordeal still, but he didn’t want to fight with Axel now. He nodded. “Yeah sure. I promised didn’t I?”

If Axel noticed his lack in enthusiasm he didn’t comment.

“Good.” He turned and headed back over to the ships he was loading. “Well, later. Make sure you make it to training by noon!”

Roxas watched him stride away until he was lost in the crowd of Nobodies. Suddenly he felt very out of place with all the hustle going on. With nothing else to do he made his way back up the steep winding steps. Occasionally turning every now and then to look back on the ships far below him.

 

\---

 

It wasn’t until after he made it back up the cliff, gasping for breath, that he realised he had no idea where the training was going to be held. He considered going back down and trying to find Axel, but he had already had too many near death experiences on those steps than he cared to admit. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, it was going to be noon in another hour or so. That means one hour to try find where ever he was supposed to be.

Sighing he set off through the village looking for anything that looked like “Training Hell for Newbies”, but after getting thoroughly lost twice he decided to try a new tactic, asking for help. Turned out this was also a bust because the Nobodies he asked either: A, didn’t believe him and told him to “get lost” in not so polite words, or B, gave really vague directions.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s a really big Heartless statue.” The Nobody looming over him had a beard that reached all the way down to his knees. A log of repair wood was hoisted over his shoulder. “Seriously, you can’t miss it!”

After another ten minutes of searching Roxas decided that this statue must exist on some other plain of existence. He leaned wearily on a beam for support. This was no good, he _had_ to find where the training was. He’d made a promise, after all.

Turned out luck decided to take pity on him. He spotted Zexion just as he disappeared around a corner.

“Wait!” He called out as he sprinted over. “Hold on!”

Zexion turned to face him with a curious look; well a look that was half hidden by the grey fringe covering half his face. He was older than Roxas, and a few inches taller. He wore a simple leather armour, but the spell work etched in the fabric still emanated a subtle aura. More intricate carvings covered the iron bands that were latched onto his forearms. Roxas also noticed that tucked under his arm was a large book. Judging by the familiar markings on the cover, every Nobody got the same one, his diary.

“Are you lost?” he asked in a demeaning tone, one Roxas had already heard enough of for one day.

“Yes, actually I am,” Roxas puffed and straightened up. “I’m supposed to be joining your training today but I… don’t actually know where to go.”

“Training?” Zexion tilted his head, his fringe covered slightly less of his face. “NIT training? Are you sure?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess Axel signed me up,” Roxas mumbled. Zexion gave him a doubtful look before relenting.

“Well if you must know, the entrance is right behind you.”

In Roxas’ defence, it wasn’t exactly a statue.

Extruding out from the side of the cliff was a great arch, carved in the likeness of a fearsome Heartless. Its head rested at the pinnacle of the arch, two twisted horns rising from its head. The arch was made by the Heartless’ giant wings, reaching all the way to the ground to create a large cavernous space between them. Right underneath its head faded letters were carved into the stone. Roxas could just made out the words.

The Underdome

It was a Timberjack, if Roxas recalled correctly. He’d never seen one himself, their usually timid nature meant that they never turned up during the usual night raids, but he remembered Axel telling him stories about them. One time when, Axel was a younger Nobody, there was a pair that attacked the village not long after a large section of woodland had been cleared out. He had said that their great wings could cut right through houses and buildings like they were butter. They demolished half the town in hours, and it took all of the best warriors, and Chief Xemnas himself, to take them down.

The carving had been made as a reminder not to underestimate them again. Even just looking at it made Roxas uneasy.

Zexion didn’t seem to have any qualms about it and strode right underneath to the heavy doors embedded in the cliff side. They creaked open with a thunderous echo under the archway. Roxas jumped at the sound, staring past the doors and into the dark interior beyond.

Well, it was now or never.

He scuttled forward, passing through the towering doors, noticing how thick they were. The entry opened out into an atrium ringed with weapons and shields, all hanging on the tall walls. Each weapon had a small plaque underneath it, but before he could properly inspect them he noticed Zexion disappearing down a flight of stairs. Not wanting to be left behind he hurried after him.

The stairs were made from a rusty orang metal, bolted into the wall as it spiralled downwards. They creaked warily as Roxas and Zexion descended. Once they reached the bottom they were greeted by a long corridor. With some rather concerning sounds coming from the end of it.

“Uh what was that?” Roxas asked as a growl echoed off the stone.

“The Heartless,” Zexion commented simply as he lent against a wall, opening his diary. Roxas whirled around to face him.

“You, you’re kidding right?” Roxas stuttered. Zexion responded with a scowl.

“What exactly did you think “Heartless Training” involved?” 

“I…” Roxas decided it would be best to shut up.

 

They waited there in silence for a rather uncomfortable amount of time. The calls of whatever Heartless were kept down the corridor did not make things any easier. He almost yelped when he heard a rumble from above, only to realise that was the just the doors from the outside opening. A minute later he heard the clambering of feet on the stairs.

“Heeeell yeah! Heartless training!” Demyx launched himself, rather unceremoniously, from the fourth to last step, sticking the landing with a skid. He spun around. “Looks like I win!”

“Oh come _on_ ,” Larxene grumbled from the steps. “Only ‘cause you tripped me up at that hill and I slid halfway down it.”

She was indeed coated head to toe in mud. Tufts of grass poked out from the mail of her armour. Muttering, she managed to cast a spell to remove the mud, by explosively spattering it around the room, Roxas getting hit with a large clump of sludge to the side of the head.

“Ugh gross! That got in my mouth!” Demyx spluttered. Zexion seemed to have spared himself from the mud-splosion by putting up a ward.

“It about time everyone made it here.” Roxas nearly jumped six feet into the air as a low voice spoke behind him. Stumbling forward, he turned around and found none other than Saïx looming over him. The silver warrior peered at him for a second before flicking his gaze to the rest of the NITs. “Everyone in line.”

The other Nobodies in the room quickly aligned themselves in from of Saïx. Nervously Roxas tagged onto the end, earning some curious looks from the others.

“We have a new member joining us today.” Saïx began. But instead of nodding to Roxas he stepped to the side, revealing a Nobody behind him. Roxas hadn’t noticed them before. They were a rather slim figure, face obscured by a dark furred hood. Armour no more than black leather. They didn’t look like much, but there was something about them that Roxas couldn’t quite place. “From now on, Xion will be joining our training.”

Xion said nothing and silently joined the end of the line, opposite side to Roxas.

“But, Sir, what about Squirt here?” Demyx piped up, jerking a thumb in his direction. Roxas tried not to look too offended by the use of the word ‘squirt’.

“Roxas is here on a trial period.” Saïx explained without as much as a glance. “If he survives training today, he will be officially made a Nobody in Training.”

“ _If_ he survives,” Larxene snickered.

“Do you have something to add?” Saïx turned to her.

“Uh, no.” She shut up.

“Now, I asked each of you to each write daily logs. I will be checking those today.” There was a scramble from Larxene and Demyx to pull out their books. Now that he had a closer look at them, Roxas saw that they weren’t exactly the same as the diaries given to all Nobodies. These were smaller, and had a slightly different pattern on the front.

Zexion presented his without much fuss. Saïx flicked through it, nodding slightly and handed it back. He picked up Larxene’s, a slight crease forming on his forehead as he looked over the muddy cover. Whatever she had written inside didn’t seem to be a problem though, as he handed it back without a word. When he got to Demyx’s, however…

“What is this?” Saïx held the book out for Demyx to see. Below the date, written in barely illegible handwriting, were the scrambled words “Did lots of work”. On the other page was “More work. Very tired.”

“Uh… my training log?” Demyx spoke very cautiously, eyes flicking between the book and Saïx’s scowl.

“This is not a training log.” Saïx ripped out the pages and held them in from of Demyx’s face. “ _This_ , is a few words written hastily five minutes before they’re due.”

“What? But-“ Saïx shoved the book back in Demyx’s arms.

“I want a full schedule accounting all the work and training you’ve completed during the week, laid out on the page, hour by hour.” Then, considering that his message hadn’t gotten through, “Every afternoon you will be assigned cleaning duty. That should help you fill the space.”

“Aww man, seriously?” Demyx started to complain but stopped as he noticed the look in Saïx’s eye.

“Was that a question, Demyx?”

“Nope. Absolutely not.”

“Good.” Saïx turned to face Roxas.

“Uh, sorry I don’t have a journal log…”

“And neither will you until you pass today’s session.” Saïx turned towards the tunnel opening. “Now if you would all follow me, we have Heartless Training to complete.”

They followed him down the dark, dingy corridor, closer and closer to the grunts and howls of the Heartless. They walked out into a round atrium. The huge stone and metal walls were covered in the faint glow of spell work, especially the giant doors that ringed the area at regular intervals. These were the sources of the Heartless’ cries.

“Today you will be encountering your first Heartless in training.” Saïx began to lecture as he headed over to a particular set of doors. They rattled as something thumped behind them, growling loudly “Behind here is a Gronckle.” Saïx spoke over the noise.

“Cave Class Heartless,” Roxas heard Zexion murmur next to him, “Speed: Slow. Defence: High. Poison: None. Armed with razor sharp teeth, spikes, claws and a mace-like tail-“

“Are you going to recite that every time I mention a Heartless by name?” Saïx was staring at him.

“Sorry, sir.” Zexion dropped his head. “Won’t happen again.” Demyx and Larxene snickered behind him. Roxas thought he saw the barest hint of an eye roll from Saïx before he continued.

“Today we will only be covering how to defend yourself.” Saïx reached up and placed his hand on a metal plate. The plate hummed beneath his palm and glowed with orange spell work. “Let’s see how long you all last.”

“Wait…” Demyx and the others began to back up. “Aren’t you gonna, like, brief us first?”

“I find it more effective learning from experience.”

The orange spell work flickered green and the Heartless burst from its cage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I love Axel, I'm gonna have to send him away for now, and leave poor Roxas to the mercies of Saix.
> 
> Thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

_Shadow- Killed_  
_Darkball- Killed_  
_Shadow- Killed_  
_Neoshadow- Failure_  
_Darkball- Killed_  
_Deadly Nadder- Failure_  
_Neoshadow- Killed_  
_Gronckle- Testing…_  


 

The NITs scattered.

Demyx ducked as the Gronckle flew right over his head. Zexion and Larxene dove off somewhere. Roxas ended up hiding around a stack of crates. Glancing around, he saw the others had not been so lucky with cover. Xion was still standing out in the opening, flexing their fingers like they were itching for a weapon.

The Gronckle flew right into the wall of the arena, crashing into it with a loud thump that echoed in the enclosed space. It turned and ran into another side, growling at the lack of cracks appearing in the stone. Dissatisfied, it turned its attention to the Nobodies scrambling below.

And of course it decided to focus on Roxas.

It charged right at him. Roxas only had a couple seconds to register this before he rolled out of the way. The Heartless crashed into the crates behind him, turning them to splinters. Roxas’ role had brought him to the feet of Saïx, who looked down at him with an expressionless face.

“Were you listening to what I was saying?” he asked.

“Uh…” _I was kinda trying not to die_ , Roxas thought.

“I said the first thing you would need is a shield.” Saïx turned away from him. “But clearly your sense of awareness is also missing.”

“My what…?” Roxas sat up. When he glanced around he saw that the other NITs had already solved the shield problem. Zexion was bracing himself against a wall, a rusty shield in hand. Xion was already standing down the Gronckle, shield in hand. Demyx and Larxene also had a shield. Well, they were fighting over it.

“Hey, I had my hands on the skull shield first!” Larxene snapped as she wrestled over the painted shield.

“You _so_ did not!” Demyx pulled it back. “Why don’t you take that other shield over there? It has flowers on it, don’t girls like flowers?”

Larxene responded by suddenly shoving the shield forward and smashing Demyx’s face with it. He cursed, stumbling back, holding his nose.

“Oops!” Larxene giggled, “Now this one has blood on it.”

Demyx looked like he was about to throw hands with her but they were interrupted by a blazing fireball. It crashed in front of them, smouldering and flinging molten rock at their feet. Both of them started hopping around, kicking the lava off their boots.

“That’s one shot.” Saïx called out from his spot on the sideline. “Each Heartless has a limited number. How many shots does a Gronckle have?”

There weren’t really many people in the room who could answer that question, between Roxas having no idea what was going on, and Demyx and Larxene currently preoccupied. Zexion, however, was more than happy to give an answer.

“Six!” He piped up from his hiding spot. This turned out to be a mistake because the Gronckle honed in on his location.

“Correct,” Saïx continued, “One shot down, that’s five left. One for each of you.”

He seemed almost cheery when he said that.

It didn’t take long for Zexion to get out. He barely was able to block the fireball with his shield, the force of the blow knocking him out.

 _So I’m not the only person who does that_ , Roxas thought to himself.

The Gronckle belched out another fireball that narrowly missed Larxene.

“Missed!” She jeered at it.

It didn’t miss the second time.

Demyx was down shortly after tripping over an unconscious Zexion. No fireball needed, he knocked himself out with his own shield. That left two people, Roxas and Xion.

Roxas scrambled out of his second hiding spot just as a ball of lava hit the wall behind him. Now he was out in the open. All other hiding spots were either destroyed or occupied by a hunk of melting rock.

The Gronckle made a dive at Xion, who rolled out of the way, nimbly springing to their feet. They skidded to a halt near Roxas in a battle ready stance, a slight pant in their breath.

“So… I guess it’s just you and me?” Roxas commented as he nervously eyed the passed out NITs around them.

Xion shifted their attention towards him, face still hidden behind the fur of their hood. Their lips parted as if about to say something, when suddenly they snapped their head up, darting off without a word. It took Roxas a second longer to process that the Heartless was heading right for them. Well, specifically _him_ now that he was the only one left in the way.

Roxas turned and fled. The Gronckle crashed into the ground, just where he had been, galloping after Roxas with stubby legs. Roxas took a quick glance behind him,

And immediately knew he had made a mistake.

His foot hit something, maybe a stray piece of wood, maybe a weapon, he didn’t know. But he was painfully aware of how his ankle twisted.

He let out a cry, falling forward. His shield slipped out of his hand, rolling off somewhere to the side. He collapsed on the stone floor, but he barely had time to register the pain that shot up his arm. The Heartless was right behind him, he dragged himself forward, trying to get his feet under himself with an ankle that really did not want to cooperate.

The Gronkle grounded itself him. Opening its jaw wide, it prepared one last final shot. Roxas was in no condition to dodge it.

 _Well Axel_ , he thought, _you can’t say I didn’t try._

A bright light filled his vision…

And then faded away.

Roxas blinked open his eyes, just in time to see the Gronckle fade into black smoke in front of him. And when the darkness faded away, there stood Xion, standing over him with a weapon in hand.

It was a strange weapon, shaped like an oversized key. The metal shone faintly, radiating a strange but familiar power.

But before he could really take it in, the weapon shimmered and disappeared. Xion already turning away to face Saïx who was approaching.

“Xion,” he growled in a low voice. Xion seemed to wilt under his glare. “I thought I made it perfectly clear before you joined the training, that you were not to attack the heartless until I say so.”

“Yes.” If was the first time Roxas had heard Xion speak. The voice was younger than he thought it would be for someone with such skill and confidence.

“We will discuss this later.” Saïx turned to address the rest of them, the other Nits were still picking themselves up. “Heartless training is over for today, seeing as there is no more Heartless to train with.” Roxas caught the side eye he gave Xion.

They all looked between Saïx and Xion. All thinking the same thing.

Xion had just taken down a heartless, on their own.

And was being told off for it.

“So wadda we doing now?” Demyx asked, blood still dripping from his nose.

“You specifically,” Saïx focused his glare on him, “will be on clean up duty, along with Roxas.”

“What?” Both Roxas and Demyx blurted out at the same time.

“I already told you, Demyx, that you were are now being assigned cleaning duty every afternoon.”

“But, why am I on clean up?” Roxas asked. He immediately regretted it when Saïx turned to glare at him.

“Your dismal performance today almost resulted in your death. The only reason you’re standing here now is because of Xion’s interference.” He turned to face the other NITs, “Now the rest of you will come with me to be debriefed before returning to your jobs.”

They filed out of the arena leaving Roxas and Demyx standing alone in the debris.

“I’m getting punished, for nearly dying?” Roxas stared blankly at the hallway they had left through. He felt an arm sling around his shoulders.

“Welcome to Heartless Training, mate.” Demyx gave him a rough slap on the back. He grinned as he held up a broom for Roxas. “Mind getting started while I deal with this bloody nose of mine?”

 

\---

 

It must have taken Demyx a long time to fix his broken nose, because Roxas had finished cleaning before he got back. Climbing back up the rickety spiral staircase was a pain because now Roxas was tired as well as sore from his near-death experience. To his surprise, it was already dark when he got out, and raining.

“And I was doing such a good job of keeping dry today.” Roxas muttered. The trek back to Axel’s place wasn’t too bad though, and he managed to get past the door without it falling on him.

When he was kicking his boots off he noticed a packaged bundle on the floor. Picking it up, he recognised the handiwork of the Village Moogles. Roxas hadn’t actually see a moogle before, they tended to work from the shadows. When he asked Axel what they were he had replied with “Capitalists”, which didn’t really help Roxas because he didn’t know what a Capitalist looked like either. But he did find out that they were in charge of keeping up shop supplies and making deliveries.

Opening the package he found two books inside. One was a new diary, the other was the notebook he would be using for NIT Training.

A million flyers also seemed to tumble out from the paperwork. All saying things like; “Tired of having a soggy page? Get Moogle waterproofing for your diary! Only 15% stock price.” And “Pesky Heartless burning your books? Invest in Moogle fireproofing! Proven to be 99.9% efficient in stopping all charring.”

Roxas shook away the flyers and carried the two books to his hammock, picking up a stray pencil off the desk as he passed. He struggled into bed and pulled out the Training Log first. He wrote a paragraph about all the clean-up he had to do without Demyx. He supposed that was supposed to count. Next he pulled out his new Diary, opening the cover and staring at the first blank page. He put his pencil to the paper, took it off, put it back on the page again.

He wasn’t sure how to put the last couple days into words. So much had happened, he didn’t even know where to begin.

Eventually he sighed and started his first sentence.

 _So, I found a Night Fury,_ he began.

 

\---  

 

The next day the Nobodies In Training gathered uneasily in the Underdome, Roxas hanging to the edge of the room while the others chatted in the middle. They all hushed as Saïx entered, Xion following behind him.

Seeing Xion, Roxas had the sudden urge to thank them for saving his life yesterday. It didn’t seem fair that Saïx was so hard on them for doing what they were training to do anyway. He started to move from his spot by the wall when Saïx called for the lesion to start.

“All in line.” He ordered. The NITs all hustled into place. Saïx looked them all over with a glaring eye. “Today, seeing as the Heartless we were using for training was killed yesterday, we will resume regular NIT Training.”

There was a collective groan from the group.

“We will begin by working on our stamina,” Saïx walked over to a pile of sacks. “Each of you will be carrying one of these up Killer Hill.”

Another groan came from the group, but was quickly cut off with a “Silence!” from Saïx. Begrudgingly they picked up the sacks and slung them across their shoulders. Roxas stumbled under the weight of it.

“Damn, what do they put in these things anyway?” Demyx grumbled.

“Maybe it’s full of all your dumb ideas.” Larxene jeered.

“Oh shut up,” he snapped back, falling into step behind her.

 

Killer Hill was really much closer to a cliff face to an actual hill. It was located inland from the village and consisted of slick gravel and a high risk of falling rocks. It was not something that the usual Nobody would enjoy climbing up, even without a ten ton sack on their back.

It didn’t take Roxas long to fall to the back of the group. Short sharp bursts of speed in near death situations tended to be his thing. Not slowly trudging up half a mountain. Xion had taken the lead, which didn’t really surprise anyone. Xion seemed to be the most adept out of all of them.

When they arrived at the break point, Roxas was already ten minutes behind the group. Upon stumbling into the clearing he shrugged the sack off his aching shoulders and let it fall to the ground. The other NITs had already made a tight circle on the other side of the clearing. Larxene and Demyx eagerly asking Xion questions.

“Was that the first Heartless you ever killed?” Larxene leaned in.

“When did you learn to summon a weapon?” Demyx added.

“Have you ever killed a Night Fury?”

Xion seemed reluctant to answer, giving one word answers when they pestered enough.

Roxas collapsed on the ground next to them. No one moved to make a space for him. He didn’t really expect them to. Instead, he lay there in the mud listening to their inquiries.

“Are you alive there?” It took Roxas a moment to realise that question was aimed at him. Opening an eye he peered up to see Zexion glancing down at him.

“Uh yeah, still breathing, I guess.” Roxas replied. Zexion didn’t even really reply. He gave a noncommittal noise and returned his attention to the group. Roxas shrugged and resumed being almost passed out on the ground.

But as comfortable as the ground was, Saïx soon called their attention. Roxas’ muscles groaned as he sat up, brushing the mud from the back of his head.

“There will now be a track run.” Saïx explained, gesturing to a second path in the clearing. “This track is longer but less steep, it leads south before looping back to the village. I will send you off one by one, then meet you where the path ends.”

“How will you make it there before us?” Roxas asked.

“I will be taking path you just climbed up.” Saïx explained. “There’s no need to be concerned, I will have plenty of time.” That didn’t sound very promising for the NITs. “Now, on your feet.”

The NITs all groaned as they stood, stretching.

Xion was called up first. They took off down the track at a light jog and disappeared around the corner. Larxene was next ten minutes later, sticking her tongue out at Saïx behind his back. Demyx took an extra five minutes to actually get going, Saïx having to all but throw him out in the track. Zexion scuffed off down the track ten minutes later.

Then Roxas was all alone in the clearing with only Saïx for company, the yellow-eyed warrior always giving him some sort of disapproving look each time he glance up at him. Roxas began to wonder what he did to offend him. Could Nobodies even feel offended?

“Roxas.”

Roxas jumped at the sound of his name, worried for a moment that Saïx had somehow read his mind. But the warrior simply gestured to the path. Roxas nodded, taking one last stretch before setting off down the path at what he thought was a rather reasonable pace.

He lasted about five minutes until his sides were aching. He gasped for breath as he slowed to a scuffle that could barely be called a jog. The path seemed endless, tall pines passing on either side of him. Sometimes it was broken up by tree roots and large rocks. Roxas made extra care not to trip or slip on them.

He eventually came to a breathless halt at a small outcroping. When he looked out he could see the village far, far, below. Nestled right next to the deep valley that he had been exploring a couple days ago.

Where he had found the Night Fury.

The spark of an idea began to form in Roxas’ mind. The village was still ages away, a couple hours at Roxas’ pace at least, and the track looped down into the valley before turning back to where they started. Plenty of time for Roxas to look for a Heartless before anyone would notice he was gone.

So if he just _happened_ to get lost…

Despite the pain he was in, a smile began to form on Roxas’ face as he set off down the path again. He had a Night Fury to find. That though sent a strange feeling off in his gut, he couldn’t quite describe it.

A more experienced Nobody would call it excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to NIT training Roxas, it's going to hell from here on out.
> 
> Big thanks as always to HouseofSannae for Beta reading.
> 
> Comments always appreciated. :)


	6. Chapter 6

_NIGHT FURY_

_Speed: Unknown_   
_Size: Unknown_   
_The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself._   
_Never engage this dragon._   
_Your only chance, hide and pray it does not find you._

 

 

It was a lot easier finding the Night Fury the second time.

First it took Roxas about an hour to stumble upon the broken wires where he had freed the Heartless two days ago. (He went around the thornbushes this time.) Longer than he hoped he would take to find it, but then again he wasn’t very fast. If he was lucky, Saïx and the others would just think that he was slow and wouldn’t be looking for him yet.

The clearing was pretty much the same as it was when Roxas first left it. Snapped pieces of wire scattered the ground. The impact where the Night Fury had landed was still there, a large gouge in the mud that had since pooled with rainwater. Roxas gave the place a cautious scan but it was clear the Heartless had moved on.

Fortunately, it left a pretty clear trail. Roxas followed the snapped branches and clawed patches of moss as he travelled deeper into the valley. Every now and again he would notice another strand of wire that would tell him that he was on the right path.

A drop of rain hit his face and he glanced up to see that the afternoon rain had arrived. He was just about to sigh, thinking about how messy his trek back would be, when his foot slipped out from beneath him. He yelped as he slid halfway down a slope before finally coming to rest right before the edge of a boulder. Beyond was a six meter drop onto the gravel below.

Roxas sat panting at the edge of the drop, thanking his lucky stars, when a huge shadow screeched right past him.

He stumbled back and felt something whip his cheek, cutting the flesh. The shadow crashed into the cliff beside him before tumbling to the ground, giving an indignant shriek as it did so. Roxas righted himself, holding a palm over the scratch on his cheek, and peered cautiously over the edge. The shadow thrashed for a moment on the ground before scrambling to its feet. In that moment it paused long enough for him to get a proper glimpse at it. When he did, his heart got clogged somewhere in his throat.

He had found the Night Fury.

The Heartless was large, but sleek in form, with a rounded face framed by jagged antenna. Its legs were sturdy and were each tipped with obsidian black claws. Large skeleton-like wing structures hung off its back, tangled in the remnants of the wire Roxas had cut it free from. Its eyes glowed solid yellow as it growled, taking another leap at the cliff face.

The Night Fury got halfway up before the wire it was trailing snagged on something, yanking against the Heartless. It let out a pained screech as it tumbled back to the ground. It landed with a cracking thud, but only for a moment before it dragged itself to its feet again. This time a purple aura radiated from the Night Fury’s body as it began to sink into the ground, creating a pool of shadow around it. The wires on its back sparked as it came in contact with the darkness. The Heartless growled in discomfort but continued anyway, launching itself up the cliff with a blinding speed.

Roxas gasped as it speed past him, half immersed into the ground, no, half immersed in its own shadow. But before it could reach the top something strange happened. It suddenly jerked to the right, slipping from the face of the cliff and tumbling to the ground below. This time it didn’t get back up.

 _Is it dead?_ Roxas wondered as he inched his way back to the edge. The Night Fury was sprawled across the mud, breathing heavily. As Roxas stared it shifted its head and returned the gaze, glaring up at him while a growl built in its throat. Suddenly something seemed to catch and the Heartless began to convulse, body rocking as it gagged. A purple glow seemed to grow in its mouth before it forcefully spat a ball of darkness onto the ground.

The Heartless stared at the spluttering glob before letting its head flop to the ground, letting out a noise that sounded almost like a sigh. And then it just lay there, defeated. Roxas took the moment to scan the surrounding area.

The Night Fury had fallen into wide clearing ringed with cliffs on all sides. The only way out was to climb. A few trees dotted the eastern side and a small waterfall trickled into a nearby lake. It wasn’t really the worst place to crash, but the Heartless seemed to take no interest in it.

“I’m sorry,” Roxas found himself saying as he studied the wires that were still tangled in the Heartless. He wasn’t really sure why he was apologising. It was a Heartless, after all. Heartless were monsters, they stole the hearts the Nobodies worked so hard to collect, they always went for the kill.

_Didn’t they?_

“But you didn’t,” Roxas wondered aloud. “Why didn’t you?”

They Heartless moping in the mud failed to provide any answers.

Sighing, Roxas flopped down in a similar position and pondered things over. His movement sent a small cluster of stones clattering down the cliff. This caused the Night Fury to perk up, eyeing the Nobody suspiciously.  Roxas froze, afraid the Heartless might have another go at scaling the rocks to reach him, but instead it just warily got to its feet, gave him a snort and huffed its way to the other side of the clearing.

 _Huh_ , Roxas thought. _Night Furies don’t seem to be as aggressive as they’re cranked up to be_.

 

\---

 

For some reason it took Roxas twice as long to get back as it did to find the Night Fury in the first place. Which really shouldn’t make any sense, seeing as the Village was at least a thousand times bigger that one single Heartless. By the time he stumbled out of the forest, it was raining, and he felt awful.

He stood there for a long while, considering how he would have to explain himself to Saïx. Maybe if he was lucky he could just sneak back to Axel’s hut, and everyone would just think he was dead until tomorrow. But, feet betraying him, he found himself trudging over to the southeast side of the village.

No one was waiting at the finishing point; Roxas figured he shouldn’t be surprised, though he did notice a note scrawled onto a nearby wall. 

The graffiti read;

_Roxas  
If you’re alive, report to smithy._

Well that was nice of them.

He headed over, the smithy being one of the few places he could find without getting lost on the way. The stone building was actually located not too far from the Underdome, Roxas realised as he passed a familiar street. Soon the smell of burning filled the air; the smithy always reeked of it, but Roxas had long gotten used to the smell. Smoke was pouring out from all four of its chimney stacks. _Must be busy inside_ , Roxas thought.

Walking in through the front door he caught sight of a familiar head of grey hair inspecting one of the nearby benches.

“Zexion?” Roxas asked as he shut the door behind him. The table the NIT was standing by was covered with various dark metals and a smoky black substance he knew all too well.

“Oh, Roxas,” Zexion, turned to face him, “You’re alive then.”

“Uh yeah,” Roxas avoided his stare, “I guess, I kinda got lost.”

“Hmm, figures.” Zexion turned back to inspecting the material on the table. “Demyx and Larxene both owe me munny.”

“Huh, how come?”

“Oh we placed bets on what had happened to you.” Zexion explained, “Larxene thought you were dead, Demyx just thought you were really slow. I, of course, predicted that you somehow managed to lose the trail, so it looks like I’ve won the bet.”

 _Well technically you didn’t, I went off and looked for a Night Fury._ Roxas was tempted to say, but decided it wasn’t worth explaining that so instead he asked, “And what did Xion bet?”

“Xion didn’t bet anything.” Zexion replied as he picked up a piece of metal, chanting a spell under his breath. The metal flashed as silver spell work glowed across its surface. Zexion studied it for a moment, the almost as an afterthought, said “Though I think I heard them mention something about you probably ditching your duties.”

“Huh.” Roxas didn’t really have an answer to that. “So, why are you here? You becoming an apprentice too?”

Zexion shook his head, but before he could reply he was interrupted from behind.

“This squirt’s been helping me out all afternoon since you decide to disappear.” Brextor, the village blacksmith, stooped under the doorway. He was an imposing figure for sure, almost twice the height of Roxas. His curly red hair was tied back in braids that hung around his shoulders. The ends of his beard were singed and he swatted out a few embers. Brextor also had a habit of patting people on the back without noticing them stumble from the blow. Much like how he’d just sent Zexion crashing into the nearby bench.

“Y- yes,” Zexion grunted as he righted himself. “Vexen decided it was best to let me help out with the synthesised material in your absence.”

“And he’s been doing a mighty fine job of it!” Brextor bellowed. The concept of an inside voice didn’t really apply to him. “You better watch out Roxas, or I might insist of picking up a new apprentice!”

Brextor didn’t notice the indignant look Zexion gave him behind his back. Instead he was focusing of ushering Roxas into the furnace area. It was all full go in there. Roxas noticed Vexen off to one side, ensuring that the heated bars of metal were cooling correctly, weaving spells into them as he did so.

Working with synthesised material was a lot more complicated than the usual blacksmith work. The first difference being that synthesised material was almost always made from magic. That would be the globs of smoking material on the bench with Zexion. The problem with that stuff was that it was almost completely useless on its own, and had to be combined with other material before they could really shape it.

This was where Roxas and Brextor usually stepped in. The synthesised material needed to be smelted with metal so that it could then be used to create the traps and weaponsthat defended the village from the Heartless. Just like the wires that Roxas had found the Night Fury tangled in.

Vexen was there to enchant both the synthesised material and the metal so they could bond together. Roxas would then heat the both substances over the furnace until they glowed white hot. Then upon removing them they would be given to Brextor, who would flatten out and fold the heated bar. This process was them repeated again and again until the metal and synthesised material had become one.

It was hard work, tiresome on all fronts, except for Brextor, who never seemed to tire from beating stuff with a hammer. With two apprentices helping out, one with the enchanting and the other with the smithing, the work seemed marginally better than last time.

The benefit to having Zexion help out was that Roxas could grill him for questions when they were left alone. Usually Vexen was tight lipped about what the synthesised material really was, and Brextor didn’t care enough to ask about what he was really working with.

Zexion however… Zexion could be pestered.

“But really, what else do you use it for?” Roxas asked the other NIT as they went to fetch the new material to be smelted.

“I told you,” Zexion sighed. “I’m not allowed to disclose that information.”

“You sound like Saïx.” Roxas muttered as he disappointedly gathered the steel ingots into his arms. He was just stating a simple observation but something about it seemed to tick Zexion off.

“If you must know, this particular material,” Zexion held up a piece of the smoking black substance for Roxas to see. “Is designed to mimic what the Heartless are made of themselves.”

“Why?” Roxas tilted his head. “So you can make Heartless yourselves?”

Zexion seemed to fumble with the last piece of synthesised material. It clattered to the floor. As he struggled to reach for it while holding the rest in his arms, Roxas bent down and picked it up for him. It smouldered against his thick gloves, leaving a black stain. When he gave it to Zexion the other boy didn’t say a word of thanks, and simply hurried off into the furnace room.

He avoided Roxas’ questions after that.

Almost an hour later they were done, Roxas hot and sweaty from working the furnace. Zexion’s long fringe had started to frizzle. Even Brextor was panting more heavily than usual when he finally set down his hammer.

“Man, this synthesising stuff really takes it out of ya, doesn’t it?” he puffed, stretching his arms until they hit the ceiling. “Come on, let’s go get some grub.” He clapped a hand on Vexen’s shoulders. Roxas was surprised he didn’t put the old Nobody’s back out.

“Uh- yes, let’s,” Vexen choked.

As they prepare to leave Brextor placed a huge hand on Roxas’ shoulder.

“Not you.” He gestured to the mess that had been made of the smithy. Iron flakes had been scattered onto the floor during hammering. A number of instruments and tools were strewn around the place. Plus, a number of coals had been left close to some flammable material. “You’re on clean up.”

Roxas didn’t even sigh as he began picking up the coals with his gloved hands.

“Oh, and Roxas!” Brextor called as he gestured to a stack of newly forged weapons off to one side. “As punishment for not turning up to work on time, can you get started on polishing these before you head up to dinner?”

It wasn’t really a question, but Roxas replied anyway. “Yes, sure.”

At least he would have a lot to write for his training log.

 

\---

 

When Roxas finally lowered the last sword from the polishing wheel, it was dark outside. Placing the weapon carefully on the table, right next to the others, he picked up a nearby rag and used it to wipe his forehead.

The smithy was sufficiently cleaner now, with the floor swept and everything either packed away or hung up on the wall. Not that it was going to stay like that for long. By tomorrow, the place would be back in use again.

But that was a problem for tomorrow. Roxas stretched and headed to the door. It was still raining outside. Roxas pulled his jacket tight and headed out into the night.

The Village of the Isle that Never Was, was never flat. It was always on a gradient as it sprawled across the mountainside. There were several parts where the slope gave way to small cliffs; the Underdome was built into one of these such cliffs. The Dining Hall was located at the very top of the village, built right into the biggest cliff. The entrance was so big it could be seen from almost anywhere else in the town.

By the time Roxas had made it to those doors, there were already Nobodies heading back home. He slipped inside and was greeted by warmth and the smell of burnt food. Roxas guessed some things never changed. Even if the food smelled of charcoal, his stomach still rumbled, making Roxas realise he hadn’t eaten anything since that morning.

He headed over to where the food was served. The food server had already gone, so he was fending for himself. There was hardly anything left (Nobodies never left leftovers) but he did manage to find some pieces of bread crust and some cold meat. When he looked up to search for seating he was surprised to find that the other NITs were still here, sitting on a table on the far side. They looked up as he headed over.

“See, I told you he wasn’t dead,” Zexion said to Larxene. “You still owe me.”

“Ugh, fine,” Larxene moaned as she handed over a small bag of coins right past Xion, who took no interest in the matter while they idly twirled a knife on the table.

“Oh come on,” Demyx leaned over to catch Roxas’ sight. “Did you really get lost?”

“Uh, yeah,” Roxas replied as he sat nearby, a little way off from the group. “Kinda just took a wrong turn.”

“Man, that is so uncool.” Demyx coughed up a bigger bag of coins and handed it to Zexion. “Roxas, you owe me now.”

“I what-?”

“So you finally decided to show your face.” Roxas almost dropped his bread as he heard the low growl of Saïx’s voice behind him. He really needed to stop being so jumpy. Saïx, as usual, ignored him and addressed the rest of the NITs. “I asked that you stay behind today so that I can introduce a new part of your training.”

There was an unnecessary groan from Demyx. Saïx gave him a glare before continuing.

“As important as it is to train your body, it is also important to train your mind.” He stepped to the side and gestured to a stack of books on the table behind him.

This time there was a groan from Larxene. Saïx gave her a glare as well.

“From now on, after dinner you will be staying here in the Study Hall, to learn about the Heartless. For now you are free to learn at your own pace; however…” He looked at Demyx and Larxene specifically, “If I find no improvement, you will find yourself specifically tutored by any Nobody less lenient than I.”

Roxas wasn’t even sure there were many other Nobodies who could read, but decided it was best not to push his luck.

“And one last thing,” Saïx noted. “Under no circumstances are the books allowed to leave the Hall. They are each one of a kind, and cannot be lost or damaged. It is also important that you do not eat while reading them.” That last point was directed at Roxas, who nodded his head in reply as he swallowed his food.

“I’ll leave you to it.” And with that he left.

 

Demyx bailed before Roxas even finished eating. Larxene left not long after he had picked out his first book. Zexion had taken up occupation in the far corner of the room where no one else would disturb him, a small pile of books by his side. Xion had picked up a book and sat on a nearby table.

Roxas flicked through the first few pages of the book he had picked out. It contained diary accounts from some of the Nobodies that had already passed on. For some reason he couldn’t really take anything in. After starting the same paragraph for the umpteenth time, he slammed the book shut, sighing heavily.

To his surprise, Xion had left sometime during his attempt to read, but when he looked over he could still see Zexion walled up on the other side of the hall.

Roxas stared back down at the book.  He wondered what his problem was, why he couldn’t take anything in. As he sat back Roxas became aware of a thought nagging at the back of his brain. The same kind of thought that had been nagging him all day.

Night Fury.

Roxas discarded the book and reached over to one of the other piles. He scanned the spines until he came across a Heartless Encyclopaedia. He pulled it out, accidentally sending half the books on top tumbling to the ground. Quickly he scrambled to pick them up, hoping that Zexion had ignored him.

Opening the Heartless Encyclopaedia he immediately began flicking through the pages, looking for one titled Night Fury. Each page was filled with writing and illustrations depicting many strange and nasty looking monsters. Scauldron, Zippleback, Thunderdrum, the names became a blur. Different facts jumped of the pages as he passed him; “Eats its victims”, “Burns its victims”, “Drowns its victims”, “Turns its victims inside out”… charming thought, that last one.

Suddenly, Roxas caught sight of the words Night Fury printed on the page. The rest of it was blank. No pictures, no descriptions, just a few words of warning and a sense of foreboding. Roxas frowned, turning over the page, but the rest of the book just continued. He scanned the rest of it hoping that maybe there was some secret page somewhere that held the information that he needed. There was none.

Closing the book, Roxas reached for another one, giving its contents a quick scan as well. The Night Fury didn’t even appear once. He grabbed another, this time being more thorough in his searching. Same result, nothing.

He kept looking, book after book. The best he got was a few mentions here and there, but nothing in detail, nothing up close. When he had exhausted the pile he even went back to the first book he had started reading, looking for anything that could help him understand a Night Fury.

There was one mention of the Heartless, a brief encounter where the Nobody had seen its shadow from the top of a beacon, right before it fired a fireball at the tower he was guarding. According to the account, the Nobody had survived the blast but had died a few weeks later due to the flue. Typical.

Roxas turned to see if he could borrow the books Zexion was reading, only to find his corner empty. Confused for a second, Roxas wondered when he left, until he vaguely remembered that Zexion had actually returned his books to the table during Roxas’ frantic search.

He had read through every book there, and none of them had information on Night Furies.

Roxas slumped on the table, defeated. How could he not find a single piece of information on Night Furies?As he lay in his slump, slowly, a realisation came to him.

Maybe he really was the first Nobody to encounter the Night Fury…

And live to tell the tale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy this chapter was a MONSTER to write. Turned out way longer than I thought it would be. Oh well, at least you readers should be happy about that.  
> Also, meet Brextor, he’s gonna be a minor oc.
> 
> Big thanks as always to HouseofSannae for Beta reading.
> 
> Comments always appreciated. :)


	7. Chapter 7

_I found out that the frowny one’s name is Saïx._

_When I described him to Axel he laughed. I asked why he was laughing and Axel replied, saying he was just imagining Sa_ _ïx’s reaction to being told that._

_So I asked how would Saïx react? And he said:_

_"Well to be perfectly honest, he’d probably frown some more."_

 

 

Saïx was finding that Roxas was beginning to become repetitive.

It wasn’t that Saïx particularly disliked repetition. Repetition brought routine, order, predictability. He used it in training to enforce discipline, practice, instinct. The Nobodies in Training would repeat drills to perfect their ability, skill and stamina.

Saïx did not approve of repeating the same question over and over. Despite the subtle rewording and tone he delivered it in, Roxas was still essentially requesting the same thing.

“I mean it would just be nice if there were more sources to read from.” The NIT was ignoring the training dummy they were supposed to be practicing on. “Maybe some more books on different types of Heartless?”

“You are only required to know the knowledge that has been given to you,” Saïx told him, again.

“Yeah, but surely it would be beneficial to have more information on, say, Night Furies, or, I don’t know…”

“Roxas,” Saïx put extra effort into the glare he gave him, “I think you would be best doing the training in front of you instead of worrying about training you are to complete in your spare time.”

The Nobody put on an expression Saïx recognised as a pout, before he turned back to his training dummy. _Axel, you’ve managed to train your pettiness into him,_ Saïx thought absentmindedly.

After a few minutes of whacking at the dummy with a blunt sword Roxas nagged for his attention again.

“So, how many Nobodies have actually seen a Night Fury?” Saïx deliberately ignored him, but it seemed the Nobody had also picked up Axel’s bad habit of talking through silence. “I mean we seemed to get attacked by them fairly often, but still no one knows much about them.”

“That would be because not many have ever survived an encounter,” Saïx replied.

“And the people who did…” Roxas dragged out the end of his sentence.

“Would you be willing the sacrifice your weak and pitiful existence to ask Xemnas about it in person?” That seemed to shut him up. Roxas’s mouth flapped as the message sunk into to his brain. “Now back to your training.”

There was suddenly a crash from the other end of the room. Glancing over, Saïx saw that Xion had discarded another broken training dummy. The experiment stood for a moment, panting heavily. While it held a practice, blade its fingers twitched along the grip, itching for a proper weapon. While Saïx had explained to the experiment that it was not to use the Keyblade during NIT training, it still reacted instinctively to call on the blade.

The experiment glanced momentarily in Saïx’s direction. Saïx simply nodded to the spare pile of training dummies on the side.

“Next.”

The experiment dropped its covered head and moved over to the pile. Setting up another dummy, it began to hack at it with renewed vigour.

Turning back to assess the group, Saïx found Roxas was staring with a slight tilt to his head. Not at him, but at Xion.

“Roxas, you’re on clean up duty again.”

“What?” The NIT broke out of his trance. “But have to work-“

“Then you should have thought about that before wasting my time.” Saïx turned away. “Maybe you should focus on the task in front of you instead of worrying about the past or the future.”

Saïx watched Roxas pathetically beat at his dummy with his training weapon. He was the only NIT in the group who was still on his first dummy. Everyone else had at least destroyed two or three.

 _I don’t even know what you saw in him_ , _Axel_ , he thought.

 

\---

 

Roxas was barely awake by the time he trudged into the Dining Hall later that night. The extra work that Saïx had put him though had been gruelling. Roxas wasn’t even sure if his arms were working properly as he served himself some food.

There was even less of it this night than the last. He had to make do with scraping the burnt leftovers that were cemented to the sides of the pots and pans. Needless to say, his dinner was pretty dismal.

As he sat down he noticed that the other NITs had already started up their reading. Zexion was in the same corner. Larxene was flicking through a book without even taking in any information. Xion was settled on a table with a small pile of books next to them. Demyx had apparently left early again.

After forcing down his food, Roxas attempted to have a go at studying, but his arms protested immensely after attempting to pick up even one book. He sighed, deciding that it was probably best for him to turn in for the night.

As Roxas made his way to the great doors of the Dining Hall, (or perhaps it should be called the Study Hall at this time?) he felt someone’s eyes on him. Turning to look back he briefly saw Xion’s head tilted his way. There was something unnerving about how Roxas couldn’t see under their hood. Actually, now that he thought about it, he never had seen them with the hood down. When he met Xion’s gaze, they turned their head back to their book without a word.

Roxas felt uneasy as he turned to leave.

 

\---

 

Roxas awoke when a sudden BOOM shook the hammock he was sleeping in. He jolted upright, forgetting that he was five feet of the ground. He unbalanced himself and fell headfirst to the ground.

The first thing he registered, as he hung from one foot, was that the door had fallen down. He figured it must have been the loud bang that had woken him up. Next the smell of smoke hit his nostrils. The orange glow of fire fights lit the rooftops of the buildings outside the door. Slowly, the sounds of the village coming to life around him became very apparent.

A night raid.

Roxas sighed and untwisted his foot, dropping completely to the floor. As he did so his diary and log book decided to tumble out and smack him in the face.

 _Well I guess I’m awake now_ , Roxas thought, rubbing the black eye he was bound to get by the morning. He stashed the books in the fireplace, as it seemed like to most flameproof part of Axel’s hut.

Then he was a little lost as what to do.

Usually when this happened he was racing out the door, ready to take on some Heartless, but that just didn’t sit right with him anymore. Now he sat there alone, in a house that wasn’t even his, completely in a midlife crisis (Actually at the rate Saïx was pushing him in training, he was probably already in his winter months.)

This kind of mental instability was interrupted of course by the same thing that interrupted most of Roxas’ plans: A Heartless.

The Darkball floated in through the doorway, growling as it scoped out the room. Its growling increased when it eyed Roxas sprawled on the floor.

“I’m really not in the mood for-“ Roxas didn’t get to finish the sentence because the Darkball took a dive straight at him.

Roxas rolled out of the way, picking himself up and diving out of the hut. He briefly heard the crash of the Heartless slamming into the ground behind him, but he decided that checking out the damage would not be a good idea right now. Instead he fled up the street, legs carrying him faster than his mind could decide where to go.

To his surprise he found himself heading towards the smithy. Well, he supposed that wouldn’t be too surprising, as he had to bunk out quite a few Heartless raids in there. Set on his path now Roxas picked up the speed, dashing around a corner-

And straight into the back of something.

That something turned out to be Zexion, who would have fried Roxas with a fireball spell had the both of them not slipped over in the mud.

As Roxas lay there blinking the spots out of his eyes, he heard his name being called from above. He slowly registered Demyx and Larxene leaning over him with confused faces.

“What the hell, twerp?” Larxene scowled down at him. “You just took out the guy who was doing all the work for us!”

“Huh?” Roxas sat up enough to see that Zexion had hit something on the way down and was out cold. “Oh, uh, sorry?”

“And where have ya been?” Demyx joined in, “Slacking off your NIT duties?”

 _NIT duties_? Roxas wondered. _Oh that’s right_ , he was a NIT now, which meant he officially had to help clean up the mess the Heartless made.

“That’s rich, coming from you,” Larxene gave Demyx a pointed stare.

“Hey,” Demyx turned to her, “If I’m slacking off, someone else might as well do my job for me.”

Larxene gave a “fair enough” look and scanned the area around them.

“What you want to do?” she asked Demyx, hands on hips “I’m down for tackling some Heartless.”

“Hell yeah.” Demyx grinned, cracking his knuckles.

“Wait...” Roxas struggled to his feet. The pair were already setting off.

“Oh yeah, Roxas, see if you can wake Zexion up!” Demyx called as both he and Larxene headed up the path.

Roxas froze, did a one-eighty and bent down to wake the passed out Nobody.

“Uh... Zexion? You alive?” He shook the Nobody’s shoulders. Zexion groaned and opened his eyes warily.

“Roxas?” His speech was slurred, that probably wasn’t a good thing.

“In the flesh.” Roxas replied, holding out a hand to pull Zexion up. The other Nobody ignored it and helped himself up. “Larxene and Demyx have gone on ahead to look for Heartless.”

“What?” Zexion spun round to face him so fast he almost lost balance. “Why didn’t you stop them?”

“Um... they asked me to wake you up?”

Zexion cursed. “Which way did they go?”

“Uh just down there.” Roxas pointed to where the duo had disappeared. Zexion took of muttering something about never being able to trust his teammates.

“So where’s Xion, then?” Roxas jogged to catch up with him.

“I don’t know,” Zexion replied. “I’ve never seen them during a raid before.”

As they continued their search for Demyx and Larxene, they found it wasn’t actually that hard to track them down. The two of them were mercilessly taunting a shadow hiding down one of the back alleys.

“What are you doing?” Zexion strode up to them.

“Aw Roxas, why did you have to bring the party pooper with you?” Demyx moaned.

“But you were the one you asked me to wake him up...”

“You’re not allowed to engage Heartless,” Zexion interrupted him, gesturing to the shadows that were now heading towards them.

“You can if it’s self-defence,” Larxene raised a finger.

“Yeah, so if one just so happens to be annoyed by Larxene’s ugly face- ow!” Demyx winched as Larxene punched him.

“Then technically we can engage it in battle,” she finished the sentence for him.

“But you’ve _never_ defeated a Heartless,” Zexion pressed. “Not even in training.”

“Yet,” Demyx muttered.

“Besides Xion’s killed a Heartless, why should they be the only one able to do so?”

“Uh guys!” Roxas spoke up. The other NITs all turned to face him. “Um, we have company!”

He pointed behind them to where two Heartless heads were rising from the alleyway. Turns out the shadow Larxen and Demyx were taunting was actually a lot bigger than they thought. The group backed off as the Heartless heads stalked them. As they drew closer, Roxas realised the two heads were actually connected to one Heartless. It looked down on them, snapping its jaws eagerly, one head belching out a purple gas, the other emitting blue sparks.

A Zippleback. Definitely not the best Heartless for a group of untrained NITs to take on.

“Should we run?” Roxas asked nervously.

“Ha! Nobodies don’t run from a battle!” Demyx gloated as pooled forth a stream of muddy water. “Take that!”

Instead of aiming for either of the two heads, Demyx hit the Heartless square in the chest. Which didn’t actually do anything, as his attack was nowhere near as strong as he believed it to be.

The Zippleback took a moment to stare down at its dripping chest and back up to Demyx.

“Uhh...” Demyx started to back up. “Maybe I don’t quite got this.”

The Heartless head on the right decided to show them what a real attack looked like and suddenly lurched forward. Then, several things happened at once.

Roxas’ flight instincts kicked in and he was already steadily backing away from the group. The Heartless head belched forth a stream of purple gas. Zexion had begun to chant a fireproof ward. Demyx screamed. Larxene leapt forward with her fingers sparking with electricity.

She fired a lightning bolt right into the Zippleback’s cloud of flammable gas.

Roxas barely heard the words “Larxene, don’t-“ interrupt Zexion’s ward chant before he was thrown off his feet. The world around him was burning in a bright and somewhat beautiful display of purple, blue and orange flame. Not that he would be able to remember it once he woke. For you see, at some point between being flung off his feet and colliding with the ground, Roxas had already lost consciousness.

 

\---

 

Roxas awoke to someone tapping the side of his face. He groaned, shifting his head as he scrunched his eyes up.

“He’s awake.” Roxas heard a voice speak, though it sounded almost off.

“Alright, Xion, back to work then.” That was Saïx, and something was definitely off with Roxas’ hearing. Roxas opened his eyes, the bright light of dawn greeted him. He squinted at the overcast clouds as his senses came back to him.

He was lying on his back; somewhere out in the open where no debris could fall on him. His hands were numb and he had pins and needles crawling up his right arm. The sound of the village picking itself up after another raid began to register in his brain, but it was definitely only coming though his left ear.

Roxas sat up, slowly, casting a look around him. The other NITs were scattered in the street around him, picking up stones and splintered wood. All of them seemed rather subdued under Saïx’s glare.

When Xion came back over to drop some wood on a growing pile nearby, Roxas spoke up.

“So, what did I miss?” He croaked. Just the act of Xion tilting their head in his direction made him uneasy.

“I’m not allowed to say.” They spoke. “Saïx will debrief the group in a minute.”

That left Roxas with more questions with answers, but he decided he should probably just wait. His headache was bad enough as it was.

When Roxas had gained a bit more consciousness, and the ability to stand, Saïx called the NITs over to line up. Roxas limped over, tagging on to the back of the line. Looking at the others he saw that they were no less grazed than he was. Larxene was by far the worst; she had been the one closest to the gas when it had ignited. Her face was puffy and scabbing and a nasty looking burn covered her right arm.

Saïx considered the line of mostly broken Nobodies in front of him before finally speaking.

“What you did last night was utterly disgraceful,” He began. “I cannot even begin to describe the immense stupidity that must have been going through your heads.”

“Sir,” Zexion protested, “it was Demyx and Larxe-“

“DID I ASK YOU TO SPEAK?!” Saïx snapped, staring down the Nobody so hard Roxas swore he saw sparks in his eyes. He then focused this glare on the rest of the group. “Your job as a Nobody In Training, during a night raid, is to provide aid! It is not,” his glare rested on Larxene “to provoke battles you cannot win.”

Larxene decided to take the smart option and not talk back.

“The only reason you are standing here before me alive,” Saïx continued, “is because Xion was out there on a field examination. Xion was the one who found you after you blew yourselves up, and took care of the Heartless.”

Roxas resisted the urge to suddenly turn to face Xion questioningly, afraid that the movement would attract Saïx’s fury.

“Not to mention the damage that your explosion caused.” Saïx began to prowl up and down in front of them.

“From now on you are all banned from duty during a Night Raid. You will all be required to stay in your accommodation unless escorted by a properly trained Nobody. There will be no questions or queries about this. This ban will be in place untill I see fit.”

He stood in front of them again, giving them all another scowl. “You are now going to help clear the entire eastern sector of the village, even if it takes you all day. You don’t get to rest until the job is done.”

None of the NITs felt like complaining about that.

“You are dismissed,” Saïx finally said, tuning to leave. “Xion you’re coming with me.” The hooded figure simply nodded and followed Saïx up the path.

“Why does Xion get to sit out?” Larxene whined once Saïx had left the street.

“Did you want to go up to Saïx and ask him?” Demyx asked.

Everyone unanimously agreed that taking that action would be rather suicidal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, for the longest time there was a note in my chapter summary that said "Larxene blows everyone up".   
> Was also fun writing from Saix's perspective for the first time.
> 
> Extra chapter update cause I have some free time. Not sure if I can keep up with a weekly schedule so if you don't seen an update every week know that I will definitely be updating every fortnight. 
> 
> Big thanks as always to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated. :)


	8. Chapter 8

_Yeah, the wee lad’s alright._

_Once we get him holding a hammer, he’ll be a fine apprentice. Hopefully get some muscles on those twigs he calls arms. Also needs to learn to speak up, can’t hear him over the roar of the furnace._

_Sure, he’s a bit of an odd sorts, but that’s nothing a few years of blacksmithing can’t fix._

 

 

 

The days after a Night Raid were usually quiet. Most of the Nobodies in the village were either recovering from injuries or resting after the initial cleanup. It was on these days that Roxas was the most free. Most of the time he explored the woods near the village, hunting for Heartless that he could slay. He could be gone for most of the day before a rather exasperated Axel would find him and walk him back home.

Of course, Roxas was really supposed to be spending those days helping Brextor in the Smithy. Usually with forging new door hinges (he could use some of those right now.) But Roxas had found that if he didn’t turn up for work the day after a Raid, Brextor would just assume he was dead and continue the work by himself. Even after he had worked out that Roxas always alive and usually well during this time, he still let the young Nobody spend those days how he liked.

Roxas took in a deep breath as he rested against the side of a tree. The forest around him was musty with a hint of rotting wood. The rain had been rather gentle that this morning. Enough to get soaked, but not enough to give you hypothermia if you kept moving. It usually came in short showers as well, leaving plenty of time for a Nobody to travel between sheltered spots. 

Roxas watched the drops fall from the branches above him and patter on the ground near his feet. He idly wondered if he was supposed to be at NIT training. The Night Raid had been a couple days ago now, and the NITs had only just finished clearing up the eastern sector of the village that morning.

Between all the training, work, punishment, and recovery, Roxas hardly had any free time to check on the Night Fury. So he decided he may as well spend his day trekking through the muddy woods to try find it again.

 _I wonder if it’s still alive_ , he thought. _Or are Heartless even alive in the first place?_

Maybe they were a bit like Nobodies in that regard? The first time Roxas had encountered death had been during a Night Raid. He had seen a Nobody disappear right in front of him, killed by a Heartless. Luckily for Roxas another Nobody had been able to rescue him. He remembered asking Axel about it later on.

_“They’re dead, Roxas.”_

_“Dead?” Roxas looked up at the redhead as they walked back to Roxas’ hut._

_“Yeah, when you disappear, you die.” Axel turned his head so he could check the younger Nobody was following._

_“But what happens when they die?” Roxas asked. Axel shrugged._

_“Who knows? Nobodies don’t have hearts you see. No heart means no soul. Without it we just fade into nothing.”_

_“Oh,” Roxas dropped his head, taking it all in. Frowning he glanced back up. “What’s a soul?”_

_This one Axel really had to think about. “Well... you know how Somebodies have a body, heart and mind?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Well the soul is what ties it all together, in a nice neat package. But your heart is what keeps your soul alive. Like I said, no heart, no soul.”_

Those concepts had been lost on Roxas when he first heard them, and they still didn’t make much sense to him now.

Roxas blinked as he noticed the rain was clearing up. He yawned as he stretched, moving out from under his shelter from the tree. He continued to make his way to the sunken clearing where he had last seen the Night Fury. He suspected that it may have moved on since then, seeing as a decent amount of days had passed.

He soon came to the clearing. After carefully navigating the cliff descent this time, he perched himself on the small ledge and kept an eye out for the Heartless. One thing he did notice about the clearing this time around was that there was a number of claw marks that scarred the bottom of the surrounding cliffs. The Night Fury had obviously made many more attempts to get out of the hole it had found itself in.

Speaking of Night Furies, Roxas caught sight of it as it limped into view. It looked even worse than the last time he’d seen it. Its yellow eyes flicked uneasily and it seemed even more smoky, like a strong enough breeze could blow it away. And still tangled up in its wing-like structures was the cursed black wire.

It didn’t take long for the Night Fury to sense it had an onlooker. It glanced up at Roxas, sniffing the air. After seemingly recognising him, it decided to ignore him and go about its business, whatever that was.

The Heartless made its way around the clearing, occasionally reaching up on its hind legs as it searched for a path up the cliff face. When it crossed beneath where Roxas was sitting, it gave him a side glare before continuing on its way. As it moved on, Roxas got a good look at the wire it was still tangled in.

The wings were still half wrapped up, the wire cutting deep into the... flesh? Shadow? Whatever Heartless were made of. The rest of it had seemingly come loose. That or the Night Fury had probably chewed through it. The wings, on the other hand, were definitely still tangled.

At a particular rock the Night Fury stopped, rubbing its back against it. There was a chinking sound as the black wire scraped against it, but it stayed tight. The Heartless ruffled itself but feeling no difference it growled and continued its round.

Roxas stayed watching the Night Fury for over an hour. Its pattern never changed. It walked around the clearing, stopping every now and then to check the cliff side. Each time it passed the lake it would stare into the water, eyeing the small fish that darted off to the deep parts. A couple of times, it would try to snap one of the fish up, but it never could catch any. And again, every time it passed that particular rock, it would scratch against it, trying it rid itself of the black wires.

Roxas took note of all this, writing it down in his diary, which had thankfully survived the Night Raid. After he had written about a page he stopped and read it over, realising that this was the first actual writing he could read on Night Furies. And he had written it himself.

“How have you managed to avoid everyone for so long?” Roxas wondered aloud. He looked back over the ledge, to find the Night Fury staring up at him.

Roxas froze but the Night Fury did nothing other than avert its gaze and continue its circling. Though from that point on Roxas noticed that it kept sneaking glances at him when it thought he wasn’t looking.

 _Maybe it’s sizing me up_ , Roxas wrote in his diary. _But every time I look back it turns away._

 

By about midday Roxas thought it might be best if he get back to the village. As he stood his muscle ached at the movement. He hadn’t realised how long he had been sitting there for. Long enough for the rain to move on and the sun to peak out from behind the clouds.

Roxas started climbing his way back up the slope he had come down. As he did so he thought he felt something prickling the back of his neck. Turning around, he saw the Night Fury was staring at him again. Not hostile or anything, just stilling with its feet tucked underneath it, looking up with wide eyes. There was something about that expression that Roxas couldn’t quite place. As bad as he was at deciphering emotions, trying to find them on Heartless proved even harder.

“I don’t know what you want,” Roxas spoke quietly, to himself or the Heartless he wasn’t sure. Either way, it left a bad taste in his mouth when he left.

 

\---

 

“Ah, he’s alive after all!” Brextor greeted him when Roxas poked his head through the smithy door.

“Oh, you know those Heartless can’t handle me,” Roxas retorted. “Haven’t you heard? I’m what Heartless really fear.”

“No, but I have heard that you got kicked out of participating in Night Raids again!” Brextor turned back to the forge. “What a shame, eh? Just when you were allowed to run loose!”

“Ha, yeah... what a shame.” Roxas tried to mimic Brextor’s tone. Truth be told, he was rather happy about the situation. He didn’t think he could face a Heartless down if he had to.

“Well, now that you’re back, I have some jobs for you!” Brextor finished off the door hinge he was hammering away at.

Oh boy, “jobs”, that was plural.

First, Brextor lead him over to a pile of scrap metal. This would have been stuff that had been sent in over the days following the Heartless attack. If it couldn’t be reused, it was sent to the smithy to be melted down and made into something new.

Mining for new ore and metal was a “finicky business” as Brextor put it. The darkness of the mines created a perfect spawn point for Heartless. Each new mine made would only last a certain amount of time before becoming overrun and abandoned. Eventually it would be sealed up so no Heartless that spawned there could get out. The mines also had to be located a fair distance away from the Village, making transporting the ore quite a challenge.

To make up for the lack of new material coming in, the village had come up with a relatively effective recycling scheme. Sponsored, of course, by the Moogles, who encouraged Nobodies to turn in old metal by promising ”kupons” and discounts at specific shops.

The other way to save metal, was to use synthesised material. When half of your material was made from magic it really saves your resources.

Speaking of the stuff, Roxas found some buried at the bottom of the pile he had to smelt.

“You don’t need this stuff?” Roxas called out to Brextor. The blacksmith glanced over to see what he was talking about.

“Nah, the old alchemist didn’t want it. Too unstable,” he explained. “Just heat it up a couple times and the synthesised part of it will disappear. Become good ol’ iron and bronze again.”

Roxas chucked the piece back on the pile and began to work. Taking a few pieces at the time, he would fill a large thick ladle, strong wards etched into it to keep it from melting. Then he checked the heat of the furnace, giving the bellows a pump before deciding that it was hot enough to work with. He would then put the full ladle into the furnace until the scrap metal began to glow and eventually melt. Once it was liquid, he would pull it out and pour it into the ingot moulds.

He repeated this over and over until the pile was mostly gone. When he melted the reject synthesised material, it sputtered and smoked dangerously. Roxas decided that he was probably better off keeping the heat down until most of the synthesised gas burnt off.

He sighed in relief when Brextor clapped him on the back and told him that was enough for today. Roxas waited for his tools to cool before hanging them up in their place on the wall. Pulling off is gloves and apron, he followed Brextor outside.

It was late evening and dinner was about to be held in the Dining Hall. As they walked up Roxas caught sight of some of the other NITs ahead of them. He considered asking how their day went, but decided they wouldn’t really want to talk to him anyway.

It was a strange feeling being early for dinner. Roxas realised that ever since he’d started NIT training he’s been late for dinner almost every single time.

 _I wonder if I’m just that much more terrible than the others, or Sa_ _x just didn’t like me that much,_ Roxas thought as he waited in line for food. “Line” being rather an optimistic word for what could better be described as a battle royal. Nobodies shoved at each other as they all tried to serve themselves up some hot food.

“Well, this is barbaric.” Roxas heard a voice behind him. Glancing around he saw Zexion considering the haggle of Nobodies with a judgemental eye.

“Uh, yeah,” Roxas agreed even if he didn’t quite understand the meaning of the word “barbaric”.  Zexion flicked his gaze to him, a slight crease between his brows, as if he wasn’t expecting Roxas to reply. “So, busy day?”

“The usual,” Zexion replied curtly, turning his attention back to the horde. Figuring that was all he was going to get out of the other NIT, Roxas spent the rest of his time waiting in silence.

When the jostling had eased up Roxas was finally able to approach the table. He filled his plate with more food than he would ever hoped to get when he came in late, and settled down at one of the tables. One that was a reasonable distance from the rest of the NITs.

He wolfed down his food, discovering how hungry spending hours travelling through the woods and working all afternoon had made him. When the bell for seconds was rung he considered going up for some more but, seeing the eager number of Nobodies that were already heading over, he decided against it.

Maybe after thirds?

 

\---

 

This time he actually stayed to study.

Roxas pulled the Heartless Encyclopaedia out of the pile resting on the table.He was actually going to read though it this time. Who knew, maybe learning about other Heartless would help him understand Night Furies more? As he did so he noticed Xion, who was sitting at the same table, shift their gaze slightly.

“Sorry, did you want to read this?” Roxas asked. Xion, whose gaze had been staring at the book, now tilted their head up to address him. Roxas swore there must have been some sort of enchantment in their hood, because even standing right in front of them he still couldn’t make out any distinguishable features in their face.

“No,” Xion replied, and turned back to the book they were reading. Curious, Roxas glanced at the pages.

“Battle Strategies Against Neoshadows and the Like.” He quoted. Xion paused in their reading but didn’t look back up at him. “I mean, no wonder you can take out Heartless so easily if you study as well as train.” Something in the back of his mind told Roxas that he should have stopped talking three sentences ago, but for some reason his mouth was still moving. “I mean...the other day, thanks for saving our-“

“Roxas,” Xion cut him off. “I’m studying.”

“Oh,” Roxas rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry...” He shuffled over to a different table.

“Yeah, they’re not really one for conversation.” Roxas heard Demyx speak up behind him. “I’m surprised you managed to get three words out of them.”

“Well, maybe they’re just not used to talking?” Roxas suggested. After all, Axel had told Roxas that he practically had to teach him the whole alphabet again.

“Well, if you say so.” Demyx shrugged. “Must have been a pretty weird Somebody then.”

There was a slamming sound as Xion snapped the book they were reading shut. They relocated to another side of the hall.

“I think they heard you,” Roxas said quietly as he watched them go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One day Roxas will actually befriend Xion, today is not that day.  
> Hope you don't mind Brextor, he's quite fun to write.
> 
> Big thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated. :)
> 
> PS. I'll be out of town next week, so update will be next fortnight.


	9. Chapter 9

_Xion is strange._

_They never speak much. When they do, it’s usually to respond to Sa_ _їx._

_Sometimes I wonder what they’re thinking. The other NITs are so easy to figure out. But I’ve never seen anything from Xion. I haven’t even seen their face._

_But sometimes I think I get a strange feeling from them. I can’t explain it._

_It’s like they seem familiar?_

_Maybe I’m going crazy._

 

 

Roxas was very busy over the next few days.

Every second day he did his best to find the time to check on the Night Fury. That itself was no small feat, as he would usually be gone for hours. This meant he was often late for training or work. Being late prompted punishment. Punishment meant less time to check on the Night Fury. He’d pretty much caught himself in a closed loop.

It also didn’t help that he was way behind in skill and stamina compared to the rest of the Nobodies. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew it full well. Because of this, Saїx would always feel the need to give him extra tasks which, again, took up more time.

He couldn’t check the Night Fury at night because he could hardly keep his eyes open enough get back to Axel’s hut. Heartless also spawned in the woods at night and he would rather not have to deal with them.

Supposedly the only thing that could lift Saїx’s bad moods was the fact they had captured another Gronkle to train with. Now that they knew what they were expecting, the NITs did a fair bit better. This time the Gronkle lasted three sessions before Xion had to kill it.

And it wasn’t really surprising that Roxas had been the one on the other end of the Gronkle.

Roxas lay there in a state of shock, his hair probably still sizzling from where the Gronkle’s last fireball had skimmed over him. Xion was standing over him with that strange key weapon in hand again.

Saїx was not happy about this.

“And how would you expect us to train with a dead Heartless?” He scowled at Xion.

“Yeah come on Xion,” Demyx spoke up, “We don’t need Roxas. You should have just left him.”

“Hey!” Roxas sat up. That wasn’t fair on Xion.

“That’s enough.” Saїx gave both of them a narrow glare. “Training is over. Roxas, you’re on training dummies until dinner. Xion, you’re going to come with me.”

Roxas watching them go, wishing he could just be able to talk to Xion and thank them for saving his life again. They really had done it quite a few times now.

 _Maybe next time_ , Roxas thought before he turned around to find a training dummy.

 

\--- 

 

Roxas knew he was making a dumb decision. The dumb decision was also giving him a weird feeling in his chest as he climbed down into the sunken clearing. Perhaps if Roxas had memories of his life as a Somebody he could try place this emotion. Maybe it was nervousness, maybe it was anticipation, maybe even excitement. What he did know was that it got his blood pumping.

His feet touched down on the matted grass at the base of the cliff. He was in the clearing, and there was no way he could climb back out fast enough if the Night Fury decided he was a tasty snack.

Roxas’ reasoning for entering the sunken clearing were probably flawed, but after the several days of just watching the Night Fury walk itself in circles he felt like he needed to do something. If he could just untangle the wire from its back, then maybe he could leave it to recover. It was a pretty big _if_. Not only would the Heartless actually have to recover but he would need to get close enough to take the wire off in the first place.

Roxas shook those thoughts out of his head as the Night Fury came pacing closer. It took a lot of Roxas’ mental willpower not to scramble back up the cliff. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered reading about Heartless giving chase to prey. The conclusion of that article stated that in most cases it was better to stand off against the Heartless. Of course that was probably for much larger, bolder, Nobodies who wouldn’t be shaking as badly as Roxas was right now.

When the Night Fury noticed him there it froze, sniffing the air hesitantly. It took a few steps forward, then some to the side, giving Roxas a wide berth as it skulked around him. It never took its eyes off the Nobody until it had retreated a good distance. Then it slowly turned its gaze away and continued on its circle.

Roxas let out a breath he forgot he had been holding. He was alive, and had no limbs missing either; that was a nice bonus. He watched the Night Fury on its round, dragging its feet. The second time the Heartless passed him it did so in the same manner as the first. The third time went rather similarly as well. It was only once the Night Fury had deemed that Roxas wasn’t a threat that it walked past with little notice of him.

One time, Roxas felt brave enough to reach out a hand. This seemed to spook the Night Fury as it recoiled and hissed at him. Roxas seemed to recoil with the exact same speed and ended up backing against the cliff. This time the Night Fury kept its glare on him as it backed off.

After that encounter Roxas decided that perhaps he could call it quits for today. He climbed back onto the ledge (with only a bit of difficulty), and took one last look into the clearing. The Night Fury was still pacing.

“I’m gonna help you,” Roxas murmured. “I know I have to, and I’m going to find a way to do it.”

 

\---

 

This time there was a new Heartless in NIT training. Roxas was already _not_ looking forward to it.

The same couldn’t be said for the other NITs, as Demyx and Larxene were eagerly bouncing off their heels as Saїx explained the training exercise.  The arena had been filled with a makeshift wooden maze; the aim was to avoid detection of the Heartless while they sought to incapacitate it.

Roxas was only half listening, his mind still wandering to his last encounter with the Night Fury a few days ago. He needed to check up on it soon. Maybe he could head there after training?

“Roxas, did you have a question?” Roxas snapped out of his train of thought and turned to face the blue headed warrior.

“Uh, if there’s a wood shortage why are we using it for training and not houses?” Roxas blurted out, half gesturing to the maze’s tall walls. _Where the hell did that come from?_ he wondered.

The question also seemed to catch Saїx off guard as he frowned when Roxas asked it.

“The wood here used in training has been used from broken pieces no one needs anymore and mixed with synthesised material to be made into what you see before you,” he replied. That caught Roxas’ attention; he hadn’t realised that synthesised material could be used for stuff other than metalwork. “That being said, the stuff we are using is still slightly unstable and will be more flammable than normal wood.” The warrior’s lips drew into an almost-smile. “Consider that another challenge for this exercise.”

Roxas didn’t think it would be a very fun challenge. This turned out to be true no more than ten minutes into the training.

He coughed as the smoke filled his lungs, blindly scrambling around the corner. Half the maze was already on fire. Apparently that was supposed to help the NITs, as the smoke would mask their smell from the Heartless. Roxas rested against one of the walls as he heard the Deadly Nadder cry in the distance.

Deadly Nadders were fast and almost completely covered in spikes. Spikes that were very sharp and could also be fired from their tail as small deadly projectiles.

Roxas grimaced as he looked over the barbed needles sticking out of his shoulder. He didn’t remember anyone telling him if they were poisonous or not but there was definitely swelling, and his shoulder was beginning to stiffen up. Maybe he could ask Zexion afterwards, the NIT had seemingly already memorised the Heartless Encyclopaedia.

The sound of snapping wood nearby jolted Roxas out of his thoughts. Turning around he saw Xion burst their way through a smouldering wall of the maze. Their gaze locked on him for a second before dashing off. Roxas picked himself up and ran after them, figuring at least he should be safe with the NITs’ best fighter by his side.

“Hey, wait up!”

Xion immediately turned around and held up a single digit, a signal to be quiet.

“Right, sorry,” Roxas whispered as he caught up. “I thought maybe we should stick together instead of splitting up. The Heartless is picking us off one by one at this rate.”

It seemed to take Xion a moment to consider this, but they eventually nodded their head. They lead the way through the maze, circling their way around to approach the Heartless from the other side. Roxas simply did his best to follow and not trip up.

When they paused at a corner, Roxas took the moment to catch his breath.

“The Nadder is just down the end of this turn,” Xion spoke in a low voice. The path split in two, straight ahead leading to more maze, to the right coming the sounds of the Heatless.

“Okay,” Roxas swallowed. “So how are we going to tackle this?”

Xion didn’t respond right away. Instead they surveyed the immediate surroundings, thinking.

“It’ll detect us if we approach from behind. We have to find a way to approach from the side.” They grabbed their shield, hefted it across their shoulder and promptly rolled across the gap. The Deadly Nadder was none the wiser.

Roxas blinked, looked across at Xion, looked at the distance he had to cross, and around the corner at the back of the Deadly Nadder in multiple successions. Xion made a ‘come on’ gesture before started to head off further into the maze. In the split seconds he had before he would lose sight of them, Roxas made a decision. He stepped out from the wall, shouldered his shield and tried the roll that Xion had done.

The roll was successful.

The bad news was that Roxas didn’t roll nearly as far as he thought he would and was stuck in the middle of the path. He scrambled to his feet, trying his best not to get noticed and quickly ducked around the corner of the other side. Unfortunately, he was just a fraction of a second too late and the Deadly Nadder noticed the movement.

It gave a curious squawk as it hopped over. Roxas didn’t stop, months of running away from Heartless had trained him not to. Instead, he kept running, right past a Xion that was making ‘don’t move’ gestures.

When the Nadder poked its head around the corner it saw him. It snapped its black beak and flicked its tail, sending a row of sharp spikes after him. They missed Roxas but he thought he heard a sharp hiss from Xion. Undeterred the Heatless leapt up onto the top of the maze walls and began to hunt Roxas from above, pelting him with more barbed spikes. Half of these he was able to block with his shield, but he felt the sting of a couple piercing his leg.

Roxas cried out and fell. The Deadly Nadder sailed right over the top of him, crashing into one of the maze walls. It caused the wooden structure to topple, leading to a cascade of falling walls. The Heatless wasn’t fazed by this and whirled around to face Roxas again.

Roxas got to his feet but he knew he couldn’t run anymore. His legs were already too stiff from the Nadder barbs embedded in them. He froze as the Heartless crept forward. It shook out its head, black spikes rattling loudly as it tried to focus on him. Was Roxas imagining it, or did its run in with the wall take more out of it than he thought?

The Nadder took a step forward, but had to shake its head out again. Roxas began to move, but it wasn’t away from the Heartless. He was moving towards it. A million thoughts were running through his head, telling him what a bad idea this was, but he pushed them down. If he could just incapacitate the Heartless, then the session would be over.

He had almost reached the Nadder when it locked its yellow eyes on him. Roxas began to slow. There was something about the way it looked at him. In that split second Roxas was back in the forest staring down at the trapped and tangled Night Fury.

_Why are we fighting?_

But the split second was over, and the Nadder was preparing to strike.

It never got to. Xion appeared out of nowhere and slammed their shield into the side of the Heartless’ head. It let out a bark, backing off before losing its footing and falling to the ground. Roxas stood rooted to the spot, arms still raised for an attack he was never going to use.

Slowly he turned his gaze back to Xion. They stood panting, blood dripping from where the Nadders spikes were embedded in their arm. They shifted their hooded head his way before shrugging of their shield.

“You stopped,” they said.

“I... what?”

“Your attack.” Xion gestured to the Nadder panting on the ground. “You held back. Why?”

“I... don’t know...” Roxas searched for some kind of excuse. He didn’t know how to explain his thoughts into words.

“That’s not an answer.” Xion stepped closer. “We’re here to train to kill Heartless. You didn’t try-“

“That’s enough, Xion.” Saїx loomed over the both of them. “Roxas is incapable at the best of times and a danger to everyone at worst.”

Saїx turned to the Deadly Nadder, still on the ground. He summoned his weapon. When he did the Heartless let out a cry and began to back up. Saїx forced it back into it’s enclosure before closing the doors and bolting it shut.

“Now,” Saїx turned to face the arena. Larxene had passed out due to smoke inhalation. Demyx was cowering in a corner. Zexion made himself visible, seeming steeping out of thin air. _When did he learn to do that?_ Roxas wondered.

“You are dismissed,” Saїx continued. “But only so your wounds may be looked over. Nadder poison can be deadly if give a high enough dose. I would advise seeking aid immediately.”

With that, he left them, leading Xion away though the back exit they always seemed to take.

“He’s kidding, right?” Demyx glanced between Roxas and Zexion.

“I’m afraid not.” Zexion shook his head. “It only takes five barbs for a Nobody to begin to feel the side effects-“

“Okay, I didn’t ask for a bloody lecture,” Demyx cut Zexion off before he could go into detail about the painful way they would probably die if they didn’t get help.

“Who’s gonna help Larxene?” Roxas glanced over to where the blond NIT was still passed out.

“Ah, wonderful for you to volunteer!” Demyx clapped Roxas on the shoulder. It was his sore one and it sent a jolt of pain down his arm.

“Ow! But I didn’t...”

“Well see you guys at the infirmary!” And with that Demyx made his exit.

Roxas stared at door for a moment before turning to Zexion.

“You gonna help?”

“Unless you think you can carry her on your own.”

Roxas sighed. “I’ll take the head, you take the feet?”

“Sure.”

After half an hour and three accidental slip ups they finally found themselves at the infirmary. (Which was actually part of the Dining Hall.) By then Roxas’ shoulder had stopped moving altogether and he could only awkwardly shuffle due to the barbs in his leg.

But what was really weighing him down was the nagging tally in the back of his head, counting the number of times Xion had saved his life. More often than not, it had been because of his own decisions that lead to him needing to be saved.

“I really am useless,” he sighed.

“Where did that come from?” Zexion looked up from where he was offloading Larxene’s feet at the end of the bed.

“Oh, it’s nothing...”

“Aw, the twerp is finally realising how useless he is.” Larxene suddenly spoke up.

“Larxene!” both Roxas and Zexion exclaimed.

“Were you awake the whole time?” Zexion asked.

“Yep,” Larxene grinned. “Thanks for carrying me the whole way!”

As she laughed at their expense, a part of Roxas vowed he’d never help another Nobody ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone's gonna bug me saying "Deadly Nadders aren't poisonous!" And I'm going to have to reply with "They are in this universe."
> 
> I just want to give a big thanks to everyone who's made it this far into the fic so far. It gives me warm fuzzy feelings.
> 
> As always, big thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading.
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter comes with art! You can check it out _[here](https://mariaashby64.tumblr.com/post/184984507347/will-these-two-dorks-finally-decide-to-get-along)._

_A memory came back to me today._

_It was one of my sister and I, playing down by the stream. She was laughing._

_I’d forgotten what her laughter sounded like._

_I used to watch the tired expression of the adults around us and think “I’ll never grow up to be like that!” but here I am; old and emotionless._

_Oh what I wouldn’t give to run through the woods again._

 

 

 

“Sorry I’m late.” Roxas spoke to the Night Fury as he made his way into the clearing. “Saїx had me running extra drills after training.”

It had been about two weeks since the Deadly Nadder training incident. Roxas had more or less recovered, although his wounds from where they cut the barbs out were still scarring over. Turned out swelling was just the first symptom of the Nadder poison and all the NITs ended up bedridden for most of that first week. As soon as they were out of infirmary Saїx had the training again. Only Brextor took enough pity on him to let Roxas take a break from blacksmithing until he was fully recovered.

In the few times that Roxas had been able to come to visit the Night Fury, they had fallen into a silent agreement of “You don’t bother me, I don’t bother you.” So far, it had been effective enough at keeping Roxas alive.

Today Roxas planned on breaking that agreement.

He approached the Night Fury slowly, keeping low so as to appear unthreatening. The Heartless paused in its pacing and eyed him warily.

“Easy, I’m not going to hurt you.” Roxas held up his hands as the Night Fury growled. He wasn’t sure if talking was going to help, seeing as the Heartless didn’t seem to be able to understand him, but it at least kept Roxas’ nerves in check.

Roxas got within a couple meters of the Night Fury before it snapped at him, but something caught in the back of its throat and it ended up throwing up a smouldering glob of black plasma on the ground. The Heartless stared at the glob for a moment, then back at Roxas, before making a noise that sounded like a grumble and walking off.

It wasn’t exactly a win, but it wasn’t exactly a loss in Roxas’ book either. Besides, Axel had always called him stubborn.

The second attempt went much like first, only difference being that the Night Fury didn’t throw up. The third time the Heartless shadow-travelled, rather wobbly, to the other side of the clearing. The fourth time resulted in Roxas falling into the small lake.

“Hey!” Roxas spluttered as he thankfully regained his footing on the shallow bottom. “I’ll get you for that!” He sent a splash of water in the Night Fury’s general direction but it got nowhere close to hitting the Heartless.

The Night Fury was looking way too smug for its own good.

“Get over here,” Roxas growled as he stumbled after the Heartless. The Night Fury let out a bark and scampered off to the other side of the clearing.

They both got about halfway before something seemed to change in the Night Fury’s stride. Maybe it tripped, maybe it stumbled over its own feet, but it suddenly faltered and hit the ground. It hissed as the black wires in its back were agitated.

Roxas slowed as he approached, slightly out of breath from his accidental swimming lesson. He dropped to his knees and the two of them lay rather pathetically on the ground; Roxas still coughing up leftover water, and the Night Fury trying to move without disturbing the tangled wire any further.

“Okay, how about no more running.” Roxas panted. He assumed the Night Fury would agree with him.

After a while he sat himself up and studied the Night Fury again. The barbed wire was still digging into its back, almost cutting its skeletal wings off completely. In fact, Roxas thought if he left it for another half month, that might just happen.

Roxas shuffled a little closer; the Night Fury shifted its head at the sound of the movement, keeping an eye on him. When Roxas lifted a hand to reach out, the Heartless growled at him. He pulled the hand back, proceeding to wait while the Heartless glared at him. When it seemed the Night Fury had calmed down, Roxas reached out again, and again, and again. Each time the Night Fury would only let him get so close before warning him not to come any further.

Roxas heeded these warnings, always pulling back until he thought he could try again. It nearly worked; he was almost brushing the Night Fury’s skin it finally decided enough was enough and pulled away from him, standing up and shuffling further away.

Roxas stood up and followed it, pausing every time it glanced suspiciously behind itself. Eventually it climbed up on a tall boulder. Roxas decided it was a good idea to give it some space in case the Heartless decided to pounce on him if he tried to climb it. Instead he mimicked it, sitting on a small rock some distance away. They both faced each other in a silent sit off.

After some time had passed Roxas was starting to get bored. Patience wasn’t really his strong suit, as Axel would put it. To help pass the time he reached for a broken stick nearby and began to make markings in the ground. At first he started with random lines and squiggles, and then almost subconsciously he started drawing the Night Fury.

As he was doing so he heard a thud. The Night Fury had hopped off the boulder it had been sitting on and was now glancing curiously at the stick’s movement. Roxas took note of the way its eyes flickered as it kept up with the motions he was making.

Feeling a bit more confident, Roxas stood up, leaving his drawing and dragging the stick behind him as it made a deep scratch in the ground. He began to turn, making twists and spirals in the line he was making. The Night Fury watched him as he worked, tentatively sniffing where he had already passed through.

As Roxas paused to take a break from his abstract drawing, the Heartless began to paw at the line he had made, smearing it over.

“Hey!” Roxas walked over. “What’d you doing that for?”

The Night Fury backed up as Roxas came over and redrew his line where the Heartless and smudged through it. As he did so the Night Fury inspected the rest of his drawing, dragging its feet though it, obscuring it even more. Roxas sighed and ran over the lines again, noting how the Night Fury watched him as he did so.

No sooner as he was done the Night Fury reached out and dragged a set of claws through his work.

“Okay, that was deliberate.” This meant war.

They then began a scuffle together as they worked around each other, trying to embed their own markings into the muddy earth. The Night Fury was larger but Roxas had the advantage of being fast, quickly darting over to redraw his line every time the Heartless walked through it. He began to fall behind, though, once the Night Fury worked out it could use its tail as well as claws to mar Roxas’ work. In retaliation, Roxas began to draw though the markings left behind by the Heartless. It let out a grunt as he did so and began to go over its own work much like Roxas had.

As Roxas watched it, a sound bubbled up from his chest and burst out from his mouth. It caught him so off guard that he stopped completely, trying to understand the fleeting feeling he had just experienced. But as soon as it had come over him it was gone, and he couldn’t quite work out what had just happened.

A more experienced Nobody would call it laughter.

Something bumped into Roxas from behind and he turned to see that the Night Fury had accidentally nudged him as it had passed. They both froze, staring at each other as if trying to work out where the other now stood. Something had changed between them.

Then, very cautiously, Roxas raised his hand again. The Night Fury stiffened but didn’t pull back, though it did shy its head slightly as he drew closer. When he was about a foot’s distance from touching the Heartless he stopped, half expecting the Night Fury to finally run away.

A thought came to him. It probably wasn’t the smartest decision he should make but that had never stopped him before.

Slowly he closed his eyes, turning his head away from the Night Fury, still standing with his arm outstretched. He waited for it to come to him. He felt the Heartless’ breath as it sniffed his hand, even giving it a tentative nudge that almost made Roxas flinch, but he kept still and steady.

And then it bit him.

Roxas let out a shriek as the Night Fury’s jaws closed around his hand. He whipped his head up, pulling his arm against the Heartless’s grip. His response seemed to spook the Night Fury enough for it to let go, giving him a wide yellow-eyed stare.

Roxas panted heavily as he inspected his arm, only to find it was fine, there wasn’t even a scratch on it. He blinked, looking back up at the Heartless who proceeded to yawn, displaying a wide open mouth empty of anything remotely tooth like.

“You... you’re toothless?” Roxas stared in a state of shock. The night Fury didn’t provide an answer for him and proceeded to sniff at his hand again. Roxas pulled back at first but then changed his mind, letting the Heartless inspect it. This time it didn’t bite him, but it did nose his hand a few more times.

“Okay...” Roxas reached out with his other hand to experimentally pet the Night Fury. It gave off a light growl at the first touch but decided to let him be. Growing a bit more bold, Roxas began to work his way down its flank, trying to get near the wire.

When he first touched it the Heartless flinched back, a snarl in its throat. “It’s okay.” Roxas assured it as tentatively reached for another part of the wire, one that wasn’t so close to the Night Fury’s skin.

He pulled out the device he has first used to cut the first wires. It was still waterlogged from his accidental swim, so he had to use twice as much of his magic as usual to start it up. When the flame spluttered to life he set it against a strand of wire until it snapped. There was a murmur from the Night Fury as it felt its wings loosen slightly. Roxas pulled off the piece of wire and threw it on the ground behind him as he set upon another strand.

Roxas worked until the Night Fury’s back was completely clear of any entanglement. When he finally stepped clear the Heartless stared at him, then to the broken wire pieces on the ground. It growled and conjured up a fireball in its throat. It spat this ball of plasma at the wire, much to the surprise of Roxas, who yelped as he dodged out of the way. It must have been high-grade synthesised material, because it was still there after the heat had died down.

The Night Fury huffed and turned around, sinking into its own shadow as it zoomed off to the other side of the clearing. Roxas watched it for a moment before noticing how low the sun was in the sky. The clearing was cast in an orange hue.

When did it get so late?

Roxas cursed as he sat up. He really shouldn’t have let time get the better of him like that. He made his way to his cliff side entry and climbed his way up. When he got to the top he paused and turned to the Night Fury once more.

“Goodbye.” He murmured. Something told him he was going to miss these woodland visits, even though he was sure Nobodies weren’t supposed to have the heart to miss anything at all. Maybe he could ask Axel about it when he came back.

Roxas did his best not to panic as he traversed through the forest back to the village. He basically knew the path by heart but if it got any darker there was a chance that Heartless could spawn. Roxas could barely handle Heartless in training, he didn’t need to encounter wild ones as well.

He was almost on the outskirts of the forest when he noticed the first one. The sun had gone behind the mountain behind him and had cast the woods in low shadow. He could see the faint light of the village just through the trees, so he wasn’t really worrying about the growing darkness in the valley. But when he turned to check the movement he had noticed in the corner of his eye, hesaw a Darkball floating in the near distance.

Roxas froze. The Darkball paid him no attention and continued its way forward. Towards the village.

_That can’t be good_ , Roxas thought.

The turning in his stomach didn’t improve as he drew closer to the village. The closer he got the more Heartless he began to notice. Thankfully they were all rather small, and all rather uninterested in him. Perhaps if this had happened the first time Roxas went wandering in the woods he would be a lot more concerned with his own safety, but after his success with the Night Fury he felt like there were other things he should be worrying about. Like how the Heartlesses’ paces increased as they got closer to the village.

A loud crack alerted Roxas to a Heartless coming in behind him. He ducked, just as a Neoshadow leapt over him, bounding towards the village. Glancing around he noticed many of the other Heartless had picked up the pace.

Perhaps he had suspected it before, but seeing all the Heartless before him confirmed the dreaded thought in the back of his head. This was a Raid.

_But it’s not even dark yet_ , Roxas glanced back in the general direction of where the sun would be. Sure, it was twilight hours but Roxas could still easily see the trees around him.

The sound of cracking tree trunks followed by a familiar bark caught Roxas’ attention. Tilting his head up, he caught sight of the shadowy form of a Dealdy Nadder in the trees. The Heartless happened to notice him at the same time, just his luck.

It hopped down from its perch to inspect him. In that moment, all the confidence Roxas had from his afternoon with the Night Fury vanished. He backed up. Fast. The Nadder hissed at him as he did so. It raised its tail as it prepared an attack.

The only thing that saved Roxas was an explosion from the village.

The Nadder jerked its head up, squawking as it did so. Then it stretched its wings and took off, barely missing Roxas as he ducked underneath it. He watched it go, noticing the flames that were now burning in the village’s houses.

Now he had a choice; Wait out in the forest completely along and hope that no Heartless would attack him, or head to the village, where he would definitely be attacked, but maybe there would be a Nobody around to help him.

As another Deadly Nadder cry echoed through the woods Roxas made his choice.

The village it was.

He made his way over as fast as he could without attracting attention to himself. A couple times a Heartless would swoop in close before pulling away, but he made it to the first row of burning houses without much incident.

Now he wasn’t quite sure what to do. Technically, Saїx had still banned them from actively participating in Night Raids.

_Can you even call this night though?_ Roxas wondered. He shook his head. Best not to try thinking like that with Saїx being the one dealing out the punishment.

Turned out he didn’t need to worry much, as after a few minutes of navigating the burning streets a Nobody finally noticed him and directed him to the Main Hall (Which was technically called The Barricades in scenarios like this) Though the Nobody only lasted two seconds by his side before they dove off into the fray again, Roxas got about two streets closer to the Barricades when another Nobody stopped him. This time they lasted about a minute before shoving him off while they helped another Nobody battle a Monstrous Nightmare.

It continued like this all the way to the Barricades; Roxas being handed from Nobody to Nobody, sometimes rather physically.

_At least Axel never threw me_ , Roxas muttered to himself after being tossed over a flaming wall of debris.

By the time he made it to the great doors he was a wreck, still in one piece, but a wreck nonetheless.

As the Nobodies guarding the door let him pass, and he was safely inside, Roxas let his fatigue catch up to him. He slumped down next to one of the many pillars lining the hall. All the tables had been piled up against the doors, preventing the already almost immovable structure from being broken into. A few other Nobodies were around, mostly the injured, though the beds that they had just been resting in were now part of the barricade.

“Hey, it’s Roxas!” Roxas looked up to see Demyx and Larxene sitting in another part of the hall.

“Oh hey,” Roxas shuffled over. “How did you guys get here?”

“Get here? We were already _in_ here.” Larxene huffed. “Those idiotic Heartless interrupted dinner.”

“Oh,” Roxas replied dumbly. That would’ve explained why he passed numerous Nobodies wielding drumsticks and cooked fish instead of weapons. The mention of food made him realised how hungry he was. Fortunately his lucky stars must have been out, because he spotted several platters of abandoned food on the floor. He headed over and picked one of them up before heading back to his pillar, eating vigorously.

After a while one of the older Nobodies came over and told them to get some rest.

“Yur gonna be needed come morn’n light,” She huffed, dropping some rough sheepskin in the floor for them to sleep on.

Roxas did as he was told, curling up under the wool. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shut out the sounds of the battle outside. It made him restless. His old habit of running out into every Night Raid not fully shaken.

Eventually he moved himself to the furthest corner of the hall, away from the doors. Only then was he able to slip into an uneasy sleep.

As he drifted off, he wondered curiously if Axel’s mission was as interesting as what was happening back here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a lot of fun writing Toothless and Roxas this chapter.
> 
> As always, huge thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	11. Chapter 11

_Roxas came down to say goodbye this morning._

_Kinda strange to think he’d get worked up about it. But then again, I guess we’re friends now, and that’s what friends would do._

_Friends._

_It’s funny, I never thought I’d ever get to make a friend as a Nobody. Thought I wouldn’t have the heart to._

_It’s strange. I shouldn’t, but..._

_I think I’m going to miss the kid._

 

 

Axel was beyond bored.

He slouched against the railing of the longboat, watching the wake spill out behind them. Behind the boat the rest of the fleet followed, sails fully filled by a strong tailwind. They’d been battling rough waters for the last week, making little to no progress and even falling backwards at times when they were blown off course.

Apparently they were closer to the suspected source of the Heartless. The Heartless Nest. With the Nest taken care of they could finally focus on completing Kingdom Hearts.

 _Finishing Kingdom Hearts eh?_ Axel hummed to himself. _Maybe then I can finally catch a break?_

“Still brooding?” A voice spoke up behind him.

“I’m not brooding,” Axel muttered as the brown haired warrior joined him at the railing. He was built like a Gronkle, plated with heavy armour. Axel would never admit it, but it was rather insulting to be pictured next to him; least of all because it made him look more sticklike than he really was. “Besides, Lexaeus, I wouldn’t have the heart to brood.”

“Never said you needed a heart to brood,” Lexaeus replied. When Axel didn’t respond he tried a different conversation. “So how’s your sea sickness holding up?”

Axel sighed. “Better than it was when we had to scale those storm swells.”

“Well, I was wondering why they put you on this mission in the first place.” Lexaeus shook his head, “I swear you chucked up more than any Nobody at the Tavern back home.”

“I think that’s enough on the subject.” Even just thinking about the storm was making Axel’s stomach queasy.

There was a shout from the Crow’s Nest. Axel raised his head, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun.

“What did she say?” He asked Lexaeus.

“I think she said that the Heartless Nest has finally been located,” the warrior replied.

“Oh, thank my lucky stars!” Axel exclaimed. He thought that they’d have to sail around for another week.

“I wouldn’t thank them just yet.” Lexaeus peered into the distance. A low cloud of fog was slowly drawing closer. “We may have found its location, but we still need to get to it.”

“Heh,” Axel grinned. “It’s way better than lying in a hammock, seasick, all week.”

There was a second shout as their leader, Marluxia, appeared, giving orders to adjust their course.

“Looks like they’re going to need us on the rowing deck.” Lexaeus walked off. Axel picked himself up from the railing and followed him, still keeping an eye on Marluxia.

 _“Whether you kill him, or an unfortunate accident happens, I want you to ensure that Marluxia doesn’t make it back to this village.”_ Saïx’s words echoed in Axel’s head.

The leader noticed his staring as he passed.

“Something the matter, Axel?” Marluxia looked him in the eyes.

“I was just thinking…” Axel held his gaze. If Marluxia began to suspect him now then all this time he spent at sea would all be for nothing. “We should play another round of cards once we get back. You still owe me those drinks.”

Marluxia frowned for a moment before letting a smile through. “That would be something to look forward to.” He moved past Axel, clapping him on the shoulder as he did so. “Better get to work then. The faster we take out this nest, the sooner we get to go home.”

“Yeah, sure.” Axel offered his own smile, knowing full well that the card game would never take place. For by the time the mission was finished, one of them would be dead.

 _Ah, well,_ he thought. _At least, if I fail, Roxas could make use of the house._

 

\---

 

Axel’s house was no longer standing.

Roxas just stared rather dumbly at where it used be. The spot now taken up by a smouldering pile of stonework.

 _Well, at least I don’t have to worry about the unhinged door anymore,_ he thought.

The village had taken a heavy hit last night. Even now as the morning rain began to fall, smoke still billowed out from different spots within the streets. Several beacons had also fallen during the raid. If Roxas took a good look around the village now, he would only be able to see two of them standing.

He spent a good while searching through the remains for anything of value, sorting the rubble into different piles. Stone went in one corner, woodwork in another. There wasn’t much metal, save for the detached door hinges and the fireplace poker. The sheets that Roxas used to sleep in were covered in ash but didn’t have too many holes burnt into them. He took the sheets off Axel’s broken bed as well and added them to the “keep” pile.

As he did he noticed a small object fall out and tumble onto the grass. He picked it up, studying it in his hand. It was a small stick of wood, no longer than the length of his hand. Along its side were a series of markings that Roxas couldn’t decipher. The wood was smooth and worn, cracked in some places.

After a moment’s thought Roxas pocketed the stick. If Axel had kept it with him at some point then it might be important to him.

“What are you doing?”

Roxas jumped, nearly dropping the sheets he was carrying, and turned to find Xion standing behind him. “Oh, Xion!” he said, staring at the hooded NIT. “What are you doing here?”

“Saïx ordered me to look for you,” they replied, “We’re required to help clear up the broken beacons. They took a lot of damage during the raid and at least two will need to be rebuilt from scratch.”

“Oh, okay.” Roxas began to gather the “Keep” pile in his arms. “I’ll just take this stuff over to the smithy and I’ll head over after that.”

“Saïx was very insistent that we have as much help on the beacons as possible,” Xion insisted.

“I know, I just want to keep my stuff safe.” Roxas explained. Nobodies were notorious for “borrowing” each other’s things.

“Your stuff?” Xion tilted their head.

“Yeah,” Roxas paused in his gathering, “I live here.”

A piece of the fireplace behind him finally cracked and the structure crumbled to the ground.

“I used to live here,” he corrected himself. “Actually it wasn’t even really my house. Axel let me stay here cause my place got destroyed.” He began to gather his things again but suddenly realized that there was slightly too much for him to carry.

“Actually…” he looked back up at Xion rather sheepishly, “Would you be able to help me carry this?”

He was sure if he could see their face, Xion would have given him a look, because the next thing they did was lay out a couple of the sheets, place everything inside and wrap it all up in a neat bundle. They held it out for Roxas rather pointedly.

“Oh, thanks.” He took it gingerly and slung it over his shoulder, wincing as part of the fire poker jabbed into his back.

“You better hurry before Saïx decides to punish you,” Xion said as they turned to go.

“Yeah, definitely.” Roxas nodded as he headed off.

He was halfway down the street before a thought occurred to him. He spun around, the weight of the sack almost tipping him over in the mud. “Xion, wait!”

Xion was already almost gone but they paused at his call. Roxas jogged to catch up to them.

“I forgot…” he panted, “to say thank you.”

“You already said that,” Xion replied.

“No, I mean,” Roxas took a couple more breaths before continuing. “I meant for saving me from that Gronkle, in Heartless training, and all the times that came after that.” He dropped his gaze to the mud. “I know I’m not very good… No, scratch that, I’m pretty terrible compared to you guys. I’m sorry Saïx always punishes you when I mess up. He really shouldn’t, but he does, it’s not fair on you. I’m sorry.”

When he looked back up Xion had turned their hood away from him.

“I just kill Heartless,” they said, so low Roxas almost missed the words. “I was only doing my job.”

Roxas frowned, thinking of a way he could respond to that. But before he could Xion snapped their head back up.

“You should hurry up and take your things to the Smithy now.”

“Ah right,” Roxas said, and gathered the tied pack around his shoulders again. “I’ll only be a few minutes, I swear!”

And with that he hurried off down the street.

 

\---

 

The beacons were a mess.

Roxas spent most of his morning helping sort out the useless cobblestone from the stuff they could use for rebuilding. Other Nobodies on site were already using these stones, slapping grout between them as the beacon’s walls began to take shape. Pieces of wood were used to reconstruct the makeshift stairs to where the beacons fire would be lit. The huge metal cauldron that would contain this fire had managed to be salvaged after it had rolled halfway down the village.

By the end of the day the beacon was looking more or less fixed. Several other beacons also now stood tall against the skyline.

“They’re not completely repaired,” One of the lead builders grunted. “But they’ll see us through tonight.”

Roxas sighed in relief when they were finally told to stop working. He’d had such little sleep the night before; he could barely keep his eyes open. He ambled his way back to the smithy to collect his stuff, just managing to put one foot in front of the other.

The smithy door creaked as Roxas opened it. His stuff was still in the corner where he left it. He went over and sat beside it, not yet mentally up to the task of hauling it back up the village to the Main Hall. He’d have to sleep there now, of course. He no longer had a place to stay.

He only remembered closing his eyes for a second before waking up from a huge shout from Brextor.

“Holy Heartless!” The blacksmith exclaimed “You gave me a fright lying in the shadows there!”

“Huh?” Roxas glance around to see that night had fallen and the smithy was dark. “Oh I’m sorry,” he began to get up. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“Rebuilding’s tiring work, eh?” Brextor yawned.

“Yeah. Sorry, I better head back up to the Main Hall.” Roxas grabbed his bundle.

“Oh, I’m afraid you missed dinner!”

“No, I actually have to sleep there,” Roxas explained as he reached for the door handle.

“Hmm, says who?” Brextor raised an eyebrow.

Roxas frowned. “Well I don’t have a place to stay anymore...”

“Why not stay here then?”

“Huh?” Roxas was now staring, “But I thought...”

“What? You work here, right?” Brextor gave a wide gesture to the room. “I’m not gonna kick you out. You just gave me a fright that’s all. Long as you don’t make a mess, you can stay.”

“Oh.” Roxas wasn’t quite sure how to respond. He decided to settle with, “Thank you.”

Brextor waved him off. “And don’t worry about waking me if you use the workshop late at night. I could sleep through a Night Raid.”

And Roxas agreed that he probably would.

So after Brextor had left to his small room next door to the smithy, Roxas found a corner to settle down, laying out Axel’s stuff in its own pile. He slept on the floor that night, but he decided that the next morning he’d see if there was a place to set up a hammock again.

He slept a lot better that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was such a joy write Axel again after so long. Dunno about you guys but I've missed him.
> 
> As always, huge thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	12. Chapter 12

_Humans are like mirrors._

_Show them someone crying and they will want to cry. Someone laughing and they will want to laugh. Regardless if they are feeling these emotions themselves, they will show it._

_It is the same with Nobodies and their memories._

_They learn to emote from their past memories, but they feel nothing themselves._

_In reality they are as hollow as a mirror._

 

 

The main downside to staying at the smithy was that now Roxas couldn’t disappear for those few days after a Night Raid. Bextor made good use of his presence around the workplace.

“Come on Roxas! I want those shields polished nice and bright by the time I get back!” the blacksmith bellowed as he left the hut.

Roxas sighed and got to work, grumbling to himself as he did so. He supposed he owed it to Brextor for staying in the smithy anyway, so he did his best to make sure those shields were well polished.

When he had finished he stood, placing the last shield back on the pile. He wasn’t quite sure why swords and shields needed to be polished. It wasn’t like Nobodies really cared about the look of their weapons. He remembered asking Brextor about it once; the blacksmith had replied saying that if you allowed your weapon or shield to go rusty, it could break when you needed it most.

As long as it actually served a purpose Roxas didn’t mind as much.

 

\---

 

There was a chill in the air as Roxas headed over to the Underdome, and he was sure it wasn’t just the midday rain.

 _Maybe it’s reading into the cold season?_ Roxas wondered as he shook out the water in his hair when he reached the shelter of the carving outside the Underdome. Axel had mentioned it a couple times while he was still here. Apparently it hardly rained and instead snowed and hailed. Roxas had never experienced snow or hail but he thought it might be a nice change from all the constant downpours.

He was late to NIT training by about three minutes, which Saїx was more than compliant in pointing out, which earned him about an hour of extra training after the session was over. That was if he didn’t do anything else to anger Saїx during the lesson.

Roxas groaned as they headed over to the arena. He bet Saїx would come up with an extremely hard session plan just to make things more difficult for him.

As it turned out he was pleasantly surprised; today they were learning first aid. The first half of the session consisted of Saїx informing them of the different ways to treat a burn, the signs of hypothermia, how to correctly knock a Nobody out when you need to saw their leg off without giving them a concussion. The usual.

The next part of the lesson comprised of group work.

Demyx and Larxene paired themselves with each other, which seemed like a disastrous combination. Roxas wasn’t really surprised they’d choose each other, considering their only other options were him, book nerd Zexion and the mysterious, non-talkative, Xion.

Roxas was in half the mid to ask Xion to be paired with him but Zexion intercepted him before he could.

“Now that that you are in your pairs I will lay out a scenario for you to act out. I will be assessing you on how much you remember from what I told you before.”

“What about Xion?” Roxas raised a hand. “They don’t have a partner.”

“An acute observation,” Saїx replied. “And your point?”

“Well don’t they need a partner for you to assess them?” Roxas tried not to wilt under his stare. He noticed that Xion was looking his way as well. “Xion can join our group.”

“They can?” Zexion questioned behind him.

“Touching,” Saїx replied, though his facial expression remained unchanged. “But I will be assessing Xion alone.”

“Why?” Roxas asked, “How can they act out the scenario with just one person?”

“Roxas are you going to do your work or are you going to spend your time filling our training session with needless questions?”

Roxas decided to back down. “Do my work,” he answered.

“Then get on with it.” Saїx turned away and began explaining the first scenario.

“What was that about?” Zexion glanced at Roxas curiously. “I thought you and Xion were on bad terms?”

“Err, kinda?” _When did you notice that?_ Roxas wondered. “But I’m trying _not_ to be on bad terms with them.”

Zexion him a rather perplexed look before deciding to move the conversation along to the scenario Saїx had just given them; being stabbed several times with Deadly Nadder barbs. As Roxas and Zexion treated their imaginary patient, Saїx watched each of the groups (plus Xion) correcting each of them when they made a mistake.

“Roxas, if you leave them there in the rain they will die of the cold before help even arrives. What are you going to do to remedy that?” The blue-headed warrior spoke up as Roxas tried to “treat” Zexion of a burn.

“Uh...” Roxas’s mind when blank.

“You could use a fire spell,” Zexion spoke up, “or a water spell to keep the rain off them.”

“Yes,” Saїx nodded. “And what if you couldn’t work any spells? Roxas, you answer this one.”

“You could...” Roxas tried to think, “Offer them your coat?”

Saїx looked at him for a long time, “Yes, I would say that counts. Anything to cover them would suffice.” He turned to confront Larxene, who had actually knocked Demyx out. “Larxene, why is Demyx unconscious?”

“Well, he has a burn, right?” Larxene explained, “So he would be in a lot of pain, so I knocked him out so he would stop screaming.”

“And why is he actually unconscious?”

Larxene pursed her lips. “We... forgot it was just a scenario?”

Saїx sighed. “Can you please wake him up now?”

Larxene rolled her eyes and gave Demyx an electric shock. He sat up sputtering. “Ow! What was that for?!”

“You fell asleep.” Larxene lied as she shrugged.

“I did not!”

“It’s a wonder those two have managed to survive training this long,” Zexion muttered beside Roxas. The other NIT turned to look at him. “Shall we move on to the next scenario? This time you have your legs crushed beneath a fallen wall...”

 

\--- 

 

With his extra training after the session, and more work back at the smithy Roxas didn’t have time to check on the Night Fury. It wasn’t until half a week later, when Brextor had decided to give him the afternoon off, that Roxas actually had the time to head over to the sunken clearing. By then Roxas was sure that the Heartless would have cleared off.

 _I wonder if it will turn up in the next raid,_ Roxas thought to himself as he made the familiar trek through the valley. He really wouldn’t be surprised if it did, though something about that thought made him feel hollow.

As he reached the slope down into the clearing he noticed a few new additions to the marks on the surrounding cliffs. It must have taken the Night Fury a few tries before it left. Roxas climbed down the last few meters before his feet reached the muddy bottom.

The clearing was still rather similar to when he last left it. His abstract drawing with the Night Fury was still visible, although most of the markings in the mud had washed away. He gazed at them rather fondly, remembering the afternoon that he had made them.

His reminiscing was interrupted by a splash from the other end of the clearing. When Roxas gazed across the small lake he spotted a familiar black shape crawling out of the water.

The Night Fury.

It didn’t take long for the Night Fury to notice him. Its antenna went up, as it sighted him on the other side of the clearing. It bounded over as Roxas backed up to the cliff face. The Heartless stopped a couple meters off and sniffed cautiously, before slowly approaching. Curious, Roxas stuck out his hand to see if it would let him touch it again. The Night Fury hesitated before testingly gnawing in his hand with toothless gum.

“What are you still doing here?” Roxas asked it. The Night Fury, naturally, ignored his question. It let go of his hand and stepped back a bit as it began to retch.

“No, wait hang on!” Roxas began to back up; the last time he had seen this happen the Heartless had coughed up a smoking ball of plasma. Unfortunately for Roxas, he was already pinned against the cliff and couldn’t really move anywhere.

But instead of setting his boots on fire, the Night Fury instead spat out two and a half of the small fish from the lake. They landed with a splat at his feet. It may not have been a fireball but it was still rather gross.

Roxas glanced back up at the Night Fury, who was looking at him rather expectantly. It nudged a couple of the fish closer.

“Oh... these are for me?” Roxas picked one up with the tips of his fingers. “You really shouldn’t have.”

The Night Fury was still staring expectantly at him.

“Um... do you want it back?” Roxas held the fish out to the Heartless. It hissed at him and nudged the fish back in his direction. As Roxas stood there a little at a loss of what to do, the Night furry chomped its jaw and made a gulping gesture. Roxas blanked. “You want me to eat it?”

The Night Fury didn’t reply, but made the same gulping gesture.

“Ugh, really?” Roxas wiped some of the slime off the fish and tentatively took a small bite.

He must say, it was weird eating something that was undercooked as opposed to being overcooked. Still, the taste made him want to gag. Doing his best not to spit the fish out he forced himself to smile at the Night Fury.

The Heartless made the gulping gesture again.

Roxas replied with an “Are you kidding me?” expression, before trying his best to swallow the fish. It got stuck in his throat mid-swallow and he almost choked on it. In the end he barely managed to force it down.

“Bleh,” Roxas stuck his tongue out as he gagged. The Night Fury tilted its head as it observed him. It copied his expression, its black tongue lolling out the side of its mouth.

 _Huh,_ Roxas frowned at the behaviour the Heartless was showing. Seeing his face change, the Night Fury tried copying the new expression, yellow eyes squinting down at him.

“Well you’ve almost got it.” Roxas stood up and stepped past the Heartless. “Unfortunately I don’t think I need anyone else in my life giving me disapproving looks.”

Roxas checked the Night Fury’s wings. The main structure seemed intact but there was still a large gash through one of the branches. The Heartless seemed unable to move that part of its wing past that point.

“I’m sorry,” Roxas sighed. “Maybe if I tried to help you earlier you might’ve been able to heal faster.”

The Night Fury ruffled its wings out as Roxas stepped back. At least the rest of the Heartless was looking a lot better. Its eyes were brighter, and it looked more solid, like it wasn’t going to blow away in the next gust of wind. Roxas had yet to see it shadow travel again though. He was wondering if it was still too injured to do so.

He tried to spend the next half hour observing the Night Fury, but the Heartless was far more interested in him now that Roxas had helped it out.

“Okay fine!” Roxas stood up as the Heartless nudged him again, sending his stick of graphite scrawling across the rest of his writing. He shut his diary and tucked it away safely. “Just as long as you don’t force me to eat anymore fish.”

In the end they went back to the same thing they did the last time Roxas was there, drawing in the dirt.

“See, this is you.” Roxas pointed out his redraw of the Night Fury in the ground. The real Night Fury tilted its head and reached out with a paw.

“Hold on!” Roxas held out an arm. The Heartless stopped, more out of surprise than actual respect. “Gee, you don’t have to ruin everything I make.” Roxas began work on a second drawing. This one was of a figure with a round face and spiky hair.

“This one’s me,” he said proudly when he was done. The Night Fury sniffed at the drawing, then sniffed at Roxas. “Yeah that’s right, that’s me! Roxas.” He pushed the Heartless aside as it threatened to tip him over. He failed and ended up falling on his back.

“Hey, careful!” Roxas glared back up at the Night Fury. “I’m not as strong as you.”

He brought himself to a sitting position as he watched the Heartless study the drawings again.

“You need a name,” Roxas decided. He wracked his brain for a moment, trying to think of one but all he could come up with was “Blackie” or “Shadow”. None of which he felt really stuck. “I’ll come up with one eventually.” He sighed.

The Night Fury looked back at him, giving another wide yawn as it did so. As Roxas watched its black gums a thought came to him.

“Toothless...”

The Heartless blinked and looked back at him.

“Well, what do you think?” Roxas asked. “Toothless?” It was a little quirky, but kinda accurate as well. Plus it also alluded to the Night Fury’s not-so-ferocious nature that it was showing Roxas now that its guard had dropped. Roxas smiled.

“Toothless it is then.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Toothless.”

Toothless sniffed Roxas’ hand, then mouthed it. Not hard enough that it hurt, but firm enough that Roxas would have struggled to pull his hand away.

“You’d better get out of that habit.” Roxas scratched the underside of the Night Fury’s jaw with his free hand. Toothless let out a low rumble as he did so.

“Oh, you like that do you?” Roxas smirked and repeated the action more firmly. The Night Fury rumbled again before eventually letting go of his hand.

“I best get going now,” Roxas explained as he made his way back to the cliff. Toothless followed him the entire way. As Roxas began climbing it gazed up at him. Roxas wondered if he could remember seeing that expression on any Nobody.

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised.

Although he wasn’t quite sure when that would be.

 

\---

 

Roxas caught Xion right as they were entering the Dining Hall.

“Oh hey, Xion!” he called out to them as he waved. They paused and flicked their hooded head his way.

“Did you want something?” Xion asked.

“Um... no, not really,” Roxas lowered his arm. “I just wanted to say hi.”

Xion didn’t respond and continued their way inside. Undeterred by the silence Roxas followed them in.

“So what did you do after training today?” Roxas attempted to continue the conversation.

“Nothing,” came the response.

“Huh,” Roxas blinked. “So you don’t have a job or anything?”

“No.”

“Oh, you’re pretty lucky.” Roxas sighed. “Brextor’s been working me overtime since I’ve moved into the smithy.”

“I’m not.” Xion gave a curt reply.

“Not what?” Roxas tilted his head.

“Lucky.”

Roxas stayed quiet for a moment, at a loss of how to respond. He supposed that, seeing how hard Xion worked in training, that they would be unhappy with nothing to do. It was the complete opposite of Roxas’ situation.

“I guess that makes two of us.” He spoke quietly.

He didn’t find out if Xion heard him or not because he was then knocked aside by a Nobody making a beeline for the food.

So all in all, a rather typical day for Roxas’ new routine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Low-key kinda forgot I hadn't posted this chapter and was scrambling to complete a new chapter for this fic in time.)
> 
> Once again, huge thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading.
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	13. Chapter 13

_I had Zexion blabbering to me about emotions again today._

_I believe his fellow trainees are responsible for this. They’re far too expressive for their own good. I mean, what sort of respectable Nobody would laugh? It’s utterly disgraceful._

_The only reason I even let Zexion partake in Heartless training is because the boy needs to learn to defend himself. Once that is complete, he shall be kept away from such youthful influence._

 

 

“Watch where you’re putting that!” Vexen huffed as the prototype for Zexion’s synthesised material spluttered in its hold. It was giving off a rather vibrant blue smoke that began to fill the underground workplace.

Zexion cursed and sprinkled it with some mineral dust as he tried to cast another spell on it. The smoke turned a bright indigo and Zexion had about two seconds to drop the whole thing before it exploded on the floor. He raised his arms to shield his face, but the sparks of the synthesised material were cut off as a wave of coldness washed over the room.

Peeking out from behind his gloved fingers, he saw that his failed experiment had been completely encased in ice.

“Are you hurt?” Vexen’s voice came from behind him. He turned Zexion around so he could look him over.

“I don’t think so,” Zexion replied. Vexen’s mild concern for his health was immediately replaced by a smack upside the head. _Okay, now I’m hurt,_ Zexion thought _._

“What did I tell you about swearing while using magic?!” Vexen snapped.

“That it disrupts the casting of spell,” Zexion mumbled. The side his head stung slightly.

“It’s because you’ve been hanging out with those other idiots in your training,” Vexen muttered. “You’ve learnt bad habits off them.”

“Well, we are often tasked to work together,” Zexion replied. “I don’t really have any other choice, especially because you forbid me to work with Xion, even though they are the most capable.”

“And I will continue to forbid you to work with Xion.” The old alchemist gave him a hard stare. “Under no circumstances are you to engage freely with that thing.”

Zexion frowned at Vexen’s choice of words, but before he could ask any more questions a bell chimed on the wall. Vexen looked up at it before sighing.

“You better not be late for your training.” Vexen waved for him to go. “I’ll clear up the mess you made here.”

Zexion nodded and left the room. Soon he was trading his work gloves and apron for his leather armour. His iron bands sparked lightly as he snapped them into place on his arms. The spellwork that was etched into them was designed to aid his magic use. With them he could use spells for longer and well as boost his power output. Vexen had specifically made them for him.

After he was finished Zexion climbed the stairs to the surface and exited the building. It was raining outside, but it never bothered Zexion. His armour was covered in spells to keep the rain off anyway.

The trek between the lab and the Underdome was a fairly short one, all downhill anyway. Still, on this particular day he had the unfortunate luck of running into Demyx on his path.

“Zexy!” The blond idiot grinned manically at him.

“Don’t call me that.” Zexion sighed.

“Aw come on, don’t be like that.” Demyx looped an arm across his shoulders. “We’re learning how to take down Heartless today! How can you be frowny about that?”

“Because it usually involves spending a week in the infirmary,” Zexion responded dryly, ducking out from under Demyx’s arm.

Demyx made a face at him. “Were you this much as a downer as a Somebody as well?”

Zexion ignored him and continued on his way to the Underdome, but his words stuck in his head.

 _A Somebody, huh?_ Zexion thought to himself. His memories of that time were messy and uncertain, like a shelf of books he could never sort. He supposed that came from being so young when he became a Nobody. There were fewer memories for him to rely on.

He was stuck with Demyx until they descended the spiral stairs and found Larxene waiting at the bottom. She greeted Demyx with a sly smile.

“Ready to blow up some Heartless?” She grinned.

“Hell yeah, I am.” Demyx held up a hand to give her a high-five. Larxene raised her own hand to reciprocate it but she missed, slapping Demyx in the face instead. “Hey! That was on purpose!”

“Oops,” she giggled.

Roxas was nowhere to be seen, but Zexion had stopped questioning that a couple weeks ago. It had just become the new norm for the Nobody to turn up late for training.

Zexion sighed as he leaned against the wall. Roxas was a strange enigma. He never seemed to be able to interact with anyone, having less social skill than even Zexion, who had had very little contact with strangers during his time as a Somebody. Under Vexen’s teachings however, at least he had learned proper manners. Maybe that was the problem? Zexion had always seen Roxas paired with that rambunctious redhead (another Nobody that Vexen disapproved of); perhaps he’d never learnt how to properly behave from him.

After a few more minutes of Roxas continuing to not show up, Saїx arrived, Xion in tow. Zexion had long since given up wondering why they always showed up together.

“Everyone in line,” Saїx called and they all did. Saїx took one look at all of them before sighing. “Looks like Roxas is on clean up duty again.”

He turned and called the NITs to follow him into the Underdome. They fell in line behind him, Larxene and Demyx chatting about the Heartless that they we’re finally allowed to kill. Xion walked silently at the back of the group, shrouded in the same mystery as when he had first seen them.

“Now,” Saїx began as they entered the arena. “Heartless are more than mere animals. You cannot simply kill them using normal weapons.” He turned to face the NITs. “That is why Nobodies carry special weapons infused with magic. Most of these weapons are made by our blacksmith, which then have the magic engraved into them. However, this is not the only weapon a Nobody can use.”

Saїx reached out with one arm, and the air before his fingers shimmered before a huge weapon appeared in his grasp. It was a claymore, nearly as long as Zexion was tall. It began with a silver handle that thickened out into the bulk of the weapon. Its end was engraved with a four point star ringed with spikes that were as blue as Saїx’s hair. It radiated with a power Zexion couldn’t identify.

“Some Nobodies are able to summon their own weapons. These weapons are powered by the user’s magic. They vary from Nobody to Nobody. Each is different from another because each weapon carries ties to its wielder’s heart as a Somebody.”

“So your Somebody was big, cold and spiky?” Demyx guessed. That earned him a snicker from Larxene and a scowl from Saїx.

“Anyhow,” Saїx continued. “Weapons are not the only way to harm a Heartless. Magic will also suffice, if it is strong enough.”

“ _Heck yeah_!” Larxene smirked, her gloved hands crackling as she twitched her fingers. “I’m gonna blow its legs right off!”

“Actually,” Zexion spoke up to correct her, “you’d be better off blowing off its antenna.”

“Did I ask for your advice?” Larxene snapped.

“Did I ask for you to interrupt me?” Saїx glowered down at the both of them.

“Uh, no.” Larxene dropped her gaze as she crossed her arms.

“However, Zexion is right. Your first target on a Heartless should be its antenna or wings. Both are used by the Heartless for mobility and navigation of shadows. For example, take out a Monstrous Nightmare’s antenna and it will no longer be able to summon portals of darkness to travel through. Take out a Deadly Nadder’s wings and it will be unable to fly.”

“’A downed dragon is a dead dragon’,” Zexion commented. He’d heard the phrase being spoken by older warrior in the Dining Hall.

“...Indeed.” Saїx gave Zexion one final glare for interrupting him again before he turned away. He approached one of the holding cells. “Your goal today, will be to take out this Deadly Nadder before it takes you out.”

Suddenly there was a loud creak from the other end of the arena. The group of NITs turned to face the entrance as Roxas heaved open the large rusty doors.

“Uhhh... sorry I’m late,” Roxas apologised as he struggled to then shut the door. “I had some... stuff to take care of.”

 _Surely he must be an idiot if he thinks that excuse is going to work on Saїx_ , Zexion thought.

“No matter, Roxas.” Saїx was unusually calm. Zexion didn’t like that. “We were just about to get started.”

“Oh, really?” Roxas finally managed to shut the door. “That’s good. I didn’t mean to be late.”

“Right then,” Saїx turned back to the holding cell. “We shall begin.”

“Wait, what are we doing?” Roxas asked as he jogged over.

“Oh, I’m afraid you missed the debriefing.” Saїx’s lips almost drew into a smile as he released the locking spells on the doors. They flung open and the Deadly Nadder burst through.

 

\---

 

Despite arguments against this Demyx considered himself a team player. Besides, if he wasn’t around then NIT training would definitely be twice as boring, so he already considered that a win for the team. He was also very generous with making sure the other NITs would have enough work during the sessions by letting them do his.

That’s why he also decided that today he would take one for the team as he dove forward and latched onto Xion’s leg.

“What-?” Xion tried to pull their leg away from him.

“It’s alright guys!” Demyx called to the other NITs. “I’ll hold Xion here. You go get the Heartless!”

The reactions from the rest of the team varied from; Xion doubling their effort to free their leg, Roxas giving him a very confused expression, Zexion beginning to blab on about teamwork, and Larxene giving him the thumbs up before charging after the Deadly Nadder.

She raced after the Deadly Nadder as it flapped around the arena. There was a sudden flash and bang as she sent an arc of lighting after it. She missed and fried one of the walls instead. The Nadder took a dive, landing before them and sending off a volley of spikes. Xion had to stop their struggling to focus on countering the attack.

They summoned their weapon, the stupid key thing, and used it to knock the spikes out of the way. Xion then turned their attention back to Demyx. Without any sense of hesitation they dropped the end of the weapon onto his head.

“Ow! Geezz...” Demyx moaned as he let go of them, rubbing his head with both his arms. “Did you have to hit me so hard?”

Xion didn’t reply. Instead they chased after the Nadder, which in turn was chasing down Roxas while Larxene threw thunderbolts at the both of them.

“This is a nightmare,” Zexion spoke from beside Demyx.

“I know, right?” Demyx muttered as he sat up. “Now Xion is going to kill it for us.”

“Demyx, we need to be working as a team!” Zexion snapped.

“Actually, I believe we just need to take out the Heartless before we get K.O.ed.” Demyx hopped to his feet. “But if you’re so keen on taking it on, I’ll leave to you to it.”

He proceeded to target the nearest barrel to hide behind before dashing over to it. He almost made it, but Larxene snagged him by the back of his armour.

“I have a plan,” she announced as she dragged both their heads down to dodge a Nadder spike as it sailed overhead.

“Oh boy...” Demyx muttered as he picked himself up.

“See, we start by using the twerp as bait.” She gestured to where Roxas was running rather haphazardly around the place. “Then we just wait for the Heartless to come in range and zap it!”

“Hmm...” Demyx thought it over. “Nice and simple...” He smiled. “I like it.”

“Alright,” Larxene stood up to hail over Roxas. “Hey twerp!” she called. “Over here!”

Roxas spotted them and began to scramble over, the Nadder charging after him.

“Alright, you got your magic?” Larxene asked as sparks began to snap between her fingers.

“Uh, actually... there isn’t any water down here for me to control...”

“What?” Larxene turned to stare at him.

“What, did you expect me to pull water out of this air?” Demyx retorted.

Larxene cursed. “Ugh, why are you so useless?!”

“Hey, take that back!”

“I can’t, it true!”

Punches began to swing. Demyx felt a sharp pain to his jaw as Larxene socked it. He retaliated by kneeing her in the gut. They were on the ground wrestling back and forth when an “Um, guys?” interrupted them.

They both looked up to see Roxas race past them. He skidded to a halt, panting. “Did you guys have a plan?”

“We did but Demyx ruined it.” Larxene huffed.

Before Demyx could reply to that comment the Deadly Nadder crashed the party, quite literally as it rammed into the group, sending them flying. Demyx hit his head as he landed, right in the same spot Xion did.

“Great, now I have twice the headache,” he growled. He blinked, trying to fix his double vision. It cleared just in time to see Larxene blast Xion with a bolt of lightning.

“Larxene, what are you doing?” Zexion called her out.

“Oops,” Larxene merely shrugged. “I was just aiming for the Heartless.”

Zexion didn’t reply, instead focusing on casting a wall of illusionary fire between them and the Nadder. Startled the Heartless backed off and began to stalk them warily.

“Does anyone actually have a plan?” Roxas cast his gaze around the group.

“Oh shut up.” Demyx shoved his head to the side as he passed. He didn’t need Roxas’ blabbering to add to his migraine. “Where’d Xion go?”

“Oh, looks like they already recovered.” Larxene sounded disappointed. “Maybe I should have used more power?”

“I thought you said you were aiming for the Heartless?” Zexion folded his arms.

“I was, I just said I should have used more power.”

“Well at this rate Xion’s going to kill it,” Demyx peered through the wall of flame at the hooded figure as it rushed at the Deadly Nadder.

“No they won’t,” Larxene said as she shoved Roxas through the wall of fire. “Oi, Snappy!” she called. “Free Dinner!”

The Deadly Nadder was more than happy to oblige with snacking on Roxas. It roared as it dashed over. Roxas tried to stumble back into the illusion but Demyx pushed him out in front again.

“Oh no you don’t.” He struggled to keep his grip on the squirming NIT. “You’re our bait.”

“I didn’t sign up for this!” Roxas retorted as he struggled in his grip.

Just then a shout came from behind them. “Duck!”

Demyx dragged Roxas down with him as he fell to the floor. It wasn’t a moment too soon as Larxene’s lightning streaked over them. Actually some of it may have singed Demyx’s hair. The magic hit the Nadder square in the face. It let out a sharp bark before stopping completely in its tracks.

“You did it!” Demyx cheered as he sat up.

“Of course I did,” Larxene smiled smugly.

“Quick,” Zexion was pulling out a weapon. “We need to finish it off before it regains its senses.”

Demyx jumped to his feet. Attacking enemies when they were in no position to attack back was his specialty. But as he stepped forward the Deadly Nadder began to disappear. As it’s smokey form faded away the figure of Xion came into view behind it, the key weapon in hand.

“Oh, for real, man?” Demyx sighed.

“That was our kill!” Larxene strode forward. “You took it from us!”

Xion shifted their hooded to look back at her. “The mission was to kill the Heartless. I was merely following Saїx’s orders.”

“You just want to be a goody two shoes!” Larxene snapped back.

“SILENCE!” Saїx’s voice echoed so loudly that almost every Nobody in the group all jumped at once. Even Demyx thought he might have wet something as the warrior prowled over to them. There was a glare in his eyes that Demyx hadn’t seen since he and Larxene had taken on that Zippleback. “And just what was that display you just produced?”

None of the NITs felt like answering him that.

“Xion was the only thing in this room who could actually defeat the Deadly Nadder without any collateral damage.” Saїx continued, his words burning with fire. “The rest of you didn’t even try.”

Demyx really wishing in that moment that his first instinct wasn’t to retort at Saїx, for as soon as he opened his mouth the warrior’s yellow glare was on him.

“What’s that Demyx?” Saїx loomed over him, “Did you have something you’d like to say?”

It took all of Demyx’s willpower to move his head just enough so that he should shake it.

“Are you sure?” Saїx drew closer. “Because from what I saw, you were the one who was obstructing the other students the most. Would you like to explain why your very first move was to immobilise Xion?”

Again Demyx shook his head.

“And Larxene,” Saїx flicked his gaze over to the other NIT. “Your inability to aim with your magic has damaged several features in the room. Not only that, but your targeting of Xion stalled the only capable member of your party.”

For once Larxene said nothing and simply dropped her gaze to the floor.

“Zexion, you are far too weak in offensive power.” Demyx watched as Zexion began to wilt under Saїx’s criticism. “With your intellect, I was hoping you would be able to find a way to utilise your ability to your advantage, but you merely seek out others to hide behind.

“And finally, let’s not forget Roxas.” Saїx rounded on the youngest NIT. “You have yet to use a single ounce of training that I have taught you within these walls. You are a disgrace to my teaching. From this moment, you are suspended from Heartless Training and will only partake in basic combat practice.”

Something in Roxas seemed to break. Demyx couldn’t quite place what it was though. The other NIT seemed to be frozen with his mouth slightly ajar. He still stayed that way, even after Saїx turned away to address the rest of the group.

“You are dismissed. All of you. Your full punishment will come tomorrow.”

And with that he left them shattered in his wake.

 

\---

 

Zexion wondered if he’d had a heart whether he’d be able to put up with Roxas’ nagging as long as he did.

“Oh come on,” Roxas unloaded the freshly smelted synthesised metal onto a nearby bench. “Of course Saїx deliberately taught you something important while I wasn’t there.”

Zexion was helping Vexen craft new material with the help of the local blacksmith. Zexion had never bothered to learn his name; he usually never did when it came to loud people. The whole afternoon he had constantly been badgered by Roxas to tell him what he had missed that morning.

“Look,” Zexion sighed, doing his best impression to sound annoyed. “The fact remains that you didn’t turn up for the first fifteen minutes of training. Missing out on important information is your punishment.”

“So he did teach you something important!” Roxas wheeled on him. “What was it? It was something to do with killing Heartless, wasn’t it? Heartless weaknesses? Strategies?”

“Like you’d like to know,” Zexion huffed as he inspected the next batch of synthesised material to be smelted. “I doubt you can recall a single piece of knowledge you’ve ever heard or read about.”

“The Heartless that attack the village don’t release Hearts,” Roxas replied back, crossing his arms. “Meaning you don’t get anything from killing them. Nobodies actually have to leave The Isle that Never Was to find Heartless that do produce hearts. Those hearts are then collected to make what Nobodies call Kingdom Hearts. But...” Roxas frowned for a second. “They don’t actually really say what Kingdoms Hearts is... just that we need it to regain hearts ourselves. Killing the Heartless that attack protects it, but doesn’t help it grow.” He looked back up at Zexion, “How was that?”

Zexion blinked, “That’s... just common knowledge...” Or at least it was common knowledge to Zexion who worked under Vexen, who wouldn’t stop going on about it.

“Well it’s what I read about last night,” Roxas shrugged. “The night before it was something about how long a Heartless can live without feeding on Hearts. Do you think Saїx feeds the Heartless kept in the Underdome?”

“That’s...” Maybe Roxas wasn’t as dim as Zexion thought he was.

“So?” Roxas leaned in closer. “What did Saїx teach you?”

Zexion turned away, his gaze focused on a large pair of tongs on the far wall. “I can’t answer that,” he replied. “But I can tell you that you would find the information in the book titled _Wings of the Damned: How to Take Out Heartless of the Air_.”

He heard Roxas step back behind him. “Alright!” he cheered “Thanks Zexion.”

“If anyone asks you didn’t hear it from me.” Zexion returned to inspecting the synthesised material.

“What is going on back here?!” Vexen appeared from the doorway. “We’ve been needing the next lot of synthesised material for the last three minutes! Now hurry up. I’ve got a tight schedule and I haven’t got all day!”

“Oh, sorry!” Roxas scooped up the next material to be smelted, but he rushed too much and some fell on the ground, sparking dangerously. Zexion was immediately reminded of his morning incident before training.

“Blundering Idiot!” Vexen scolded him as he picked up the piece to insure it wasn’t damaged. After casting another enchantment or two he seemed to be satisfied.

 _Blundering he may be_ , Zexion thought. _But he might not be the idiot everyone thinks he is_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Oh look I have all these chapters planed out  
> Also me: Casts several plotpoints aside to write a chapter from the other NITs perspective
> 
> So I wanted to also have a part from the pov of Larxene but the chapter was proving to long already for me to add it. Plus it would have broken the flow of the chapter.  
> So in case I don’t get to mention it later in the story, Larxene’s day job is looking after the village sheep while the shepherd rests before protecting them during the night.
> 
> Huge thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading this.
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	14. Chapter 14

_Kill Heartless_  
_Kill   Heartless_  
_kill Heartless_  
_Kill  heartles_  
_kil Heartless_  
_Kill   heatless_  
_Kill Heartles_  
_Kill Heartless?_

 

 

 

There was a problem with Toothless. A problem that Roxas wasn’t quite sure how to address. Not that he hadn’t encountered plenty of problems that he didn’t know initially how to address over the last month, but this one seemed rather significant.

Toothless had lost a wing.

Or rather part of a wing, if you would really call it a wing. Technically, from what Roxas had seen, Night Furies couldn’t use their wings to fly, since there was no membrane between the black skeletal structures.

However, this did affect Toothless’ ability to glide along the ground in a shadow. Even half submerged the Heartless would only be able to shadow travel ten meters before some unknown force would suddenly make flip Toothless over, or veer off in a random direction, or spin out of control.

“That looked like it hurt,” Roxas commented as he watched the Night Fury detach itself from a tree. Toothless growled in a way that almost made him sound like the Heartless was grumbling.

“Well, maybe if you let me take a look at it, I’d be able to help you,” Roxas replied as he tucked his diary away.

He stood up and approached the Heartless. Toothless let him come close enough to touch but still wouldn’t let Roxas go anywhere near the severed appendage.

“It’s not like I’m going to hurt you anymore than you already are,” Roxas sighed as he circled the Night Fury, trying to get a look at the broken wing. He paused as he remembered why Toothless was injured in the first place. “Though I suppose it’s fair if you don’t trust me.”

He backed off and sat on a rock some distance away. Toothless went back to trying to shadow travel without crashing into a wall.

Roxas had first noticed the part of the wing was missing not long after he had been banned from NIT training. Fortunately, thanks to Zexion, Roxas had been able to research the information that he missed out on since he was late that day. Unfortunately, he had found out that Toothless’ injury was probably the worst thing that could happen to a Night Fury.

If it had been a leg instead, Roxas was sure Toothless would still have been able to use shadow traveling to hunt and survive until the injury healed.

Roxas sighed, staring off into the water of the nearby lake. Suddenly, something nudged him from behind; looking up he saw Toothless looking down at him.

“Oh, so _now_ you want my attention?” Roxas smiled as he petted the Heartless’ nose, swatting it when Toothless tried to bite him again. “I told you, you need to stop that.”

He stayed with Toothless for another half hour, but he soon had to go. Even if he wasn’t formerly taking part in NIT training, Saïx still insisted on punishing him with cleaning, and basic drills. Last time he had to deliver oil to every beacon in the whole village. He didn’t finish until sundown.

“I’ll be back soon,” Roxas called down to Toothless as he finished climbing the cliff. He set off through the woods, deliberating whether to hurry, so he wouldn’t get punished, or to dawdle and delay the training as much as he could. Some days he wondered whether he should show up at all.

 _Are Nobodies really supposed to feel this way?_ Roxas wondered as he kicked over a stone. His thoughts wondered about Axel. He’d made a promise to Axel before he left that he’d give NIT training a go. That had been enough to get him to go; it was a promise to a friend after all. Roxas felt like those sorts of things were important.

But now that he had met Toothless, and decided that he didn’t want to kill Heartless, he was wondering whether training was still the right thing.

Roxas sighed as he rested against a tree. The clouds overhead looked heavy; it was probably going to rain soon.

 _Great,_ Roxas thought. _Nothing like a shower before training._

 

\--- 

“Hey Xion,” Roxas waved to the hooded figure as they entered the arena. Xion, of course, elected to ignore Roxas and focus on following Saïx into the arena as he explained what the other NITs were going to be doing today.

Despite Roxas no longer being part of Heartless training, he was always included in these briefings. Most likely so Saïx could remind him on what he was missing out on before he was tasked with whatever boring punishment Saïx had thought up for him that day.

Today they were discussing weapons. Not the kind of weapons that Roxas made in the forge but the kind that the Nobodies could summon themselves. Each NIT was tasked with focusing on summoning and training with each of their own weapons.

Of course, Xion was the only one who could summon their weapon already. The oversized key, called ‘the Keyblade’ by Saïx, supposedly was specifically designed to fight the Heartless.

“So they get a special weapon as well as special treatment,” Larxene muttered, quiet enough for Saïx not to hear her.

“Whatever,” Demyx whispered back. “I’ll summon a weapon that’s way cooler than theirs.”

So while the others were busy working on the weapons they could summon, Roxas was stuck repairing any props that had been smashed or broken in the last training session.

“And make sure you do not cut any corners with your work,” Saïx warned him as he watched over Roxas repairing a pile of broken dummies. “I expect high quality from a Nobody who spends his time apprenticing under a blacksmith.”

 _Blacksmithing and crafting are two different things_ , Roxas thought to himself has he finished tying the last knot on the dummy before him. He struggled to lift it upright as he hauled it over the pile of other repaired dummies. Just as he left it on the pile there was a sudden flash, immediately followed by a loud BOOM as the pile of dummies exploded.

As he stood dumbfounded in the shock of it all, he heard a snicker behind him.

“Oops,” Larxene sneered.

“Larxene,” Saïx, who had somehow blocked the explosion, turned to face the NIT. “I believe I told you to focus on summoning your weapon, not your magic.”

“It was an accident,” Larxene insisted, but she still had a smile hidden in the corners of her mouth.

Saïx said nothing and instead headed off to check the progress of the other NITs. Xion was off in one corner, hacking away at dummies that Roxas would no doubt have to deal with later. Demyx seemed to have fallen asleep in another corner. Zexion seemed to have a similar problem to Larxene, only being able to summon magic instead of any weapon.

 _Summoning a weapon, huh?_ Roxas thought back to that fateful night where he had first encountered the Night Fury. Something had happened to him then. Something had appeared in his hand and hurt Toothless. That meant that he definitely did have a weapon.

Roxas held out his right hand, focusing on pulling that mysterious weapon into existence. Nothing happened. He sighed and went back to his work; he’d have to start over thanks to Larxene.

 

\--- 

 

The session ended without any of the others being able to summon any new weapon. Though, surprisingly, it did seem at one point that Demyx was almost about to summon his, but he broke his concentration by sneezing.

“We will focus on something else tomorrow,” Saïx concluded as he gathered them all to debrief. “Please continue to practice in your own time.”

With a final word to Roxas to finish up repairing the dummies, the blue-headed warrior left them to go about their day. Zexion, Larxen and Demyx left immediately, but to Roxas’ surprise Xion stayed behind a little longer, pulling the broken dummies they had dealt with over to Roxas’ repair pile.

“Oh, thank you.” Roxas hurried to help them. Soon Roxas’ pile of work was sufficiently restocked. As Xion turned to leave, Roxas stopped them.

“Um, Xion?” He watched the hooded figure pause and turn back to him. Roxas took deep breath before continuing. “Why do you kill Heartless?”

Xion’s lips seemed to part for a moment before hardening as they spoke in an almost rehearsed line, “Because it’s my purpose.”

“Your purpose?” Roxas tilted his head. He had heard of plenty of Nobodies speak about killing Heartless to protect Kingdom Hearts, so that they could gain hearts themselves one day; something Roxas couldn’t quite understand the notion of. But he had never heard a Nobody say that is was simply their ‘purpose’.

“So…” Roxas took a moment to gather his thoughts. “You mean like it’s like, what you do instead of a job?”

“No,” Xion replied, which kind of confused Roxas even more. “I am only here to kill Heartless.”

“Only to kill Heartless?” Roxas repeated. Xion nodded once and began to turn away but Roxas called out before they could. “But is it your own choice?”

“Huh?” Xion swung their hooded head his way.

“Do you choose your purpose, or does someone give it to you?”

Xion didn’t seem to be able to respond. If they weren’t wearing their hood up, Roxas was sure they would be frowning. “I… just follow orders.”

That response seemed to irk something inside Roxas. Maybe because he had spent so much time disobeying all the rules and orders of the Nobodies around him that he couldn’t quite understand the notion of following them.

“But even if you are ordered to kill a Heartless,” Roxas continued as his mind began to wander. “If you follow through with the order, you’re still making a choice, right? So, you could also choose not to kill the Heartless. Do you choose to follow orders ‘cause it’s your purpose?”

“I…” Xion was backing away from him now. “I don’t know…”

“How do you not know?” Roxas followed them. “Do you not think about what you’re doing?”

“I… think…?” Xion raised a gloved hand to clutch their head. “…Choice?”

Roxas paused as he realised he may have gone too far. “Uh, Xion?”

“Stop!” Xion cast out their hands, causing Roxas to take a step back. As they flicked head up to look at him in a fearful glance, Roxas caught the glimpse of a blue eye flash from under the hood… then Xion was turning away and disappearing through the doors at the end of the arena.

Roxas watched them go. Then he was left alone in the empty arena of the Underdome. As he was wondering what he did wrong he suddenly realised something similar between he and Xion.

 _I used to think killing Heartless was the only thing I could do as well_ , Roxas thought as he began working on repairing the dummies again. He thought that it was something all Nobodies did. He didn’t think he had a choice in it…

…until he met Toothless.

 _I wonder if I should tell Axel about that when he gets back_? Roxas sighed as he finished another dummy. He had a very large pile to go.

 

\---

 

It’s hard to tell the passage of time in the Underdome. Roxas wasn’t too sure how long he was working before he finally completed his task. Wearily, he made his way back up the rickety spiral staircase up to the atrium. As he paused to catch his breath at the top, he gaze rested on the myriad of weapons that lined the walls around him.

Curious, he made his way over to inspect them. Maybe they’d give him some insight as to how to summon his own weapon. As he looked closely, he saw that each weapon had a small plaque underneath it, stating the Nobody’s name, a Heartless and a string of numbers that Roxas recognised to be a date. As he continued, he found the dates corresponded to when the Nobody had graduated from Heartless Training.

Roxas took his time wandering around taking them all in. No two weapons were the same. Each had their own design, shape and flare, even if they did all look like they were cast from the same bronze. As he rounded the corner, he spotted a familiar set of weapons on the far wall.

Axel’s weapons.

Surprised, Roxas paused in his meandering before heading right over. The bronze casts of the two spiked rings of death were covered in a thick layer of dust. Roxas brushed a finger over the plaque sitting underneath it; the same dust came off on his hand.

On the plaque Axel’s name was stated, underneath it, _Terrible Terror_ was engraved into the metal. Roxas squinted at the date that was stated on the plaque, the maths turning in his head. If he was right, then Axel would have had his weapon cast and placed here about ten years ago.

 _I guess that would have made him about…_ Roxas frowned, realising he didn’t even know Axel’s age now and therefore wouldn’t be able to work out how old he was back then.

As Roxas stepped back he noticed another weapon on the wall. This one was clearly Saïx’s. The bronze claymore was covered in the same amount of dust as Axel’s, and when Roxas checked the plaque, underneath _Monstrous Nightmare_ , he found it had the exact same date as well.

 _So, they both graduated at the same time_ , Roxas thought. He wondered if the two of them had gotten along in the same training class. After a moment of thought he deemed that both were far too different to have ever been friends.

 _Friend,s huh?_ Roxas pondered over the meaning of friendship. _I wonder if he has any friends apart from me?_ He’d only really learned what a friend was the night before Axel left, so he’d never gotten the chance to ask.

Roxas really hoped that Axel would come back soon. He was sure he was making a mess of his life in his absence.

 _I mean I’ve almost made friends with a Night Fury_ , Roxas thought to himself as he headed back to the entrance. He stopped in his tracks.

“Friends with a Night Fury…” Roxas blinked. Was that even possible?

 _Well, friends are…_ Axel’s voice echoed in his memory. _Friends are people you hang out with, laugh together about stupid things, make fun of each other and… well, they look out for each other._

Roxas frowned as he tried to piece everything together. He certainly did spend a lot of time with Toothless. Time where he did do a lot of stupid things and if he could truly understand Toothless, he would swear that the Heartless did make fun of him sometimes. And he did look out for Toothless even if Toothless didn’t look out for him.

 _So maybe we’re almost friends?_ Roxas thought. _Half friends? One-sided friends maybe?_

He shook his head out before he hurt something, but the fact remained; He and the Toothless had become attached at some point and he didn’t know if he could let the Night Fury go. Not until he had helped it fully recover at least.

 _Maybe that’s your purpose?_ A thought popped up in the back of his head. _To help Heartless instead of killing them._

It was an odd thought, but it stuck in his mind as Roxas strode out of the Underdome, ignoring the evening rain falling from the sky.

Speaking of helping Heartless, his mind ran through the possible solutions to fix Toothless’ wing. The part that has broken off had since disappeared, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t build something new…

Roxas paused in the middle of the mud-churned street. Sure, making a complete Heartless limb from scratch would be a bit beyond his forte, but he had some skill in blacksmithing, and living in a half-broken shack meant he was no stranger to fixing broken things.

He picked up the pace again. Once he was back inside the smithy, where it was dry, he could begin to sketch out some blueprints to follow.

 

And so, unbeknown to Roxas he had found himself with a new purpose. While it was true that he didn’t understand what a ‘purpose’ was, or whether it was something you could choose or not, but that afternoon Roxas decided that it would be his purpose to help Toothless recover.

And that purpose made something burn deep in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been struggling to keep up with the posting schedule. I'm doing my best but these latest chapters have been testing me. Anyway I hope you're all enjoying my writing.
> 
> Big thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	15. Chapter 15

  _So, Night furies uses their wings and antenna to Shadow Travel (That’s what I’m calling it). But Toothless can’t do that right now because of the missing wing piece._

_ But if I can make something for the missing part, then maybe Toothless would be able to hunt again.  _

_ I had a few ideas for it, this one seems the most likely… _

 

 

“Watcha working on there, Roxas?!” Brextor bellowed over Roxas shoulder, catching the younger Nobody completely off guard.

“U-uh something,” Roxas scrunched up the blueprints he had just drawndrawn.

“Starting your own projects, are you?” Brextor gave Roxas a pat on the back that nearly made Roxas’ knees buckle.  “Reminds me of when I was a wee lad.”

“Ha… ha… yeah.” Roxas tried to calm his breathing. He was still rather surprised by the fact that Brextor, of all Nobodies, had managed to sneak up on him.

“So!” Brextor leaned in eagerly. “When are we going to see this new invention of yours?”

“Uh…” Roxas blanked.

“No need to be shy, boy!” Brextor insisted, giving him another pat on the back. “Tell me about it!”

“I- I mean… it’s going to take a really long time and… well it’s dumb anyway…” He turned to leave, scooping up his blueprints and taking them with him.

He flinched as Brextor called his name from the doorway.

“Yeah?”

Brextor gave him a look he couldn’t recognise. “Don’t give up on it.”

Roxas blinked. “Um…”

“If inspiration strikes ya, you should follow it.” His expression changed back to its usual toothy grin.  “That’s how I became the blacksmith I am today.”

“Right, okay.” Roxas gave him a nod before disappearing outside. Brextor watched him go.

“You’re lucky, mate,” Brextor spoke to himself, “It’s been many years since inspiration has struck me. Longer than I’ve been a Nobody even.”

 

\---

 

The rain was strange.

Roxas paused in his walking to gaze up at the sky. Instead of drops of water falling on his face, there were small white beads pelting down. He held out a hand to catch some; as he inspected them, they melted in his hand.

 _Strange,_ he thought. _I’ve never seen rain like this before._

The strange rain only lasted half of his trip to the Underdome before it resumed its usual downpour. He arrived soaking wet and cold.

Zexion was already waiting in the atrium, along with, to Roxas’ surprise, Xion. They stood on opposite sides of the room. Zexion was inspecting his training log book as he leaned against the wall while Xion practiced summoning and dispelling their weapon. They both glance up as he descended the stairs.

“Uh, you guys are early?” Roxas spoke hesitantly.

“As are you,” Zexion gave an even reply.

“I um, got kicked out of the house early.” Which was basically true. He didn’t want Brextor asking too many questions.

Zexion simply nodded and returned to his own work. Roxas joined Xion’s side of the room. He hadn’t really spoken to them since their breakdown several days ago, but that never stopped him from trying.

“Hey Xion,” he greeted them tentatively.

“Are you going to question me again?” Xion wasn’t meeting his gaze.

“No,” Roxas lied as he immediately searched for a conversation starter that wasn’t a question. “I just wanted to… say good morning.”

Xion didn’t reply. An awkward silence drew out between them.

“Uh, so there was some strange rain on the way here,” he tried again. “It was all frozen and stuff.”

“It’s called hail.”

“Huh?” Roxas turned back to Zexion, who hadn’t looked up from his book.

“I said, it’s called hail.” Zexion glanced up with a grey eye. “But I suppose you wouldn’t have seen it before. It’s your first winter here, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Roxas had briefly heard about the seasons from Axel before he left, and a bit from Brextor as well. Basically, they boiled down to the wet season and the cold season. The former was a lot longer than the other.

“I wouldn’t get too excited about it; you’ll be sick of it before long.”

 _Well that’s a bleak statement_ , Roxas thought.

“Well, at least it might change things up around here, right Xion?” He turned to face them again. Xion looked up as if surprised to be included in the conversation.

“As long as I can still kill Heartless,” they said.

“Of course _you_ would be able to,” Roxas assured them, “I dunno about Larxene and Demyx but you’re really good at it.” In the back of his mind Roxas reminded himself never to let Xion and Toothless meet.

“Not according to Saïx.”

Before Roxas could ask what they meant there was a commotion from above as Larxene and Deynx clambered down the stairs.

“Looks like the peace and quiet is over.” Zexion snapped his book shut.

Roxas zone out as Saïx began to brief the group. Technically he didn’t need to be here. Whatever he would be ordered to do would most certainly have nothing to do with Heartless training.

 

\--- 

 

Roxas knew he was inspecting the dummy he had to repair far too thoroughly, but he needed to work out how the hinges at the joints worked.

He took a quick glance around the arena. Saïx was busy lecturing Larxene about her summoned weapon. She had been the first of the others to summon her weapon after Xion, and she hadn’t stopped bragging about it since. Roxas was often the “accidental” target of her attacks.

Seeing that Saïx was occupied, Roxas snuck out his diary and began sketching the mechanics of the joint. He was just about finished when a voice spoke beside him.

“What are you doing?”

Roxas flinched so hard he dropped his diary. It fell open on a random page. Looking up he found Xion standing over him.

“Uh I was just taking note of how the dummies were built so I could… maybe build them better?” For a moment he thought Xion would see right through his façade, but they simply picked up his diary and handed it back to him.

“That would be practical.”

“Uh, thanks.” Roxas took his diary, making sure he kept it shut until Xion returned to hacking apart the training dummies. He gave a sigh.

“Resting already, Roxas?”

This time Saïx was standing behind him. He hadn’t noticed the warrior approaching.

“Need I remind you what happens when you slack off with your work?” Saïx glared at him with his yellow eyes.

“Nuh- no sir!” Roxas squeaked as he hastily began putting the dummies back together again.

“That’s what I thought.” Saïx gave him one last look before heading off to consult Zexion.

 

\---

 

By the end of the session Roxas had acquired a rather detailed report on how the training dummies were put together and all the mechanics that he could use to make Toothless’ missing appendage.

Once again, he was left alone in the arena with no one else but Xion, who had begun to make a habit of training late, for company. Tired from his work, he spared a moment to watch them.

There was something strange about their movements, he couldn’t quite place the feeling. The way they swung their blade, how they thrust and parried. It all seemed like… he’d seen it before.

The sound of cracking wood echoed through the arena as Xion once again destroyed another training dummy. Roxas sighed as they brought it over.

“You know, the longer you keep breaking these, the longer I have to stay here,” Roxas mumbled as they added the dummy to the pile.

Xion paused. “Am I an inconvenience to you?”

“Uh…” Roxas took a moment to contemplate the meaning of the word inconvenience. Maybe he’d heard Zexion and Saïx use it a few times? He was sure it wasn’t a good thing. “No, it’s just that I can’t do any of the things I need to do after training if I’m still here.”

“Such as?”

Roxas blanked at the question, usually it was Roxas questioning Xion, not the other way around.

“Oh, you know… Nobody stuff. Like blacksmithing, eating, nearly dying… the usual.” Roxas scratched the back of his head.

When he didn’t say anymore, Xion began to return to their training.

“Actually, Xion,” Roxas called out to them. “I was wondering how you… learned to summon your weapon?”

Their response wasn’t what he expected.

“I didn’t.”

“Huh?” Roxas frowned.

“As long as I can remember I have always been able to summon the Keyblade.”

 _So, Xion really does have such a big advantage over us_ , Roxas thought.

“Well then, what does it feel like?”

“Feel?”

“Yeah, what does it feel like when you summon it?” He thought back to summoning of his own mystery weapon.

“Roxas, Nobodies can’t feel.”

“Well, I…” Roxas blinked. He’d forgotten that. When did he forget that? It wasn’t a simple as forgetting you had training on, or where a certain house was, or a Heartless’s name. It had been something Roxas was told almost every day since he arrived on the Isle. “I mean, is there a feeling in your chest or your arm, when it appears?”

From the shadow of their hood Roxas could make out Xion pursing their lips in thought. They held out their right arm and their Keyblade flashed into existence.

“I don’t really think about it,” Xion admitted. Roxas watched as they summoned and dispelled their weapon a few times. “It just comes to me when I need it.”

“When you need it, huh?” Roxas glanced at his own hands. He had needed on that rainy night to defend himself from Toothless, but he had practically summoned it on accident. Staring at his hands he realised that there was no reason he couldn’t accidentally summon it again in the future. What if he hurt Toothless with it? He needed to learn to control it.

“Xion can I… hold it?” he asked tentatively.

“My Keyblade?”

“Yeah, just for a second.”

Xion hesitated as they deliberated over it before finally tilting the handle over to him. “It won’t do you much good, but if you insist.”

Roxas’ eyes lit up at their gesture, but he paused before taking hold of the weapon. Slowly he took grasp of the hilt. It was warm. He blinked in surprise as he felt the weight of it in his hand.

“It’s lighter than I expected,” he commented as he took an experimental swing.

If he had been paying attention, he would have noticed Xion staring at him with the same rapt attention he giving their Keyblade. They kept flexing their hand, as if expecting something to happen.

“Here,” Roxas handed it back to them. “Thank you.”

He also didn’t notice the look Xion gave him as they took the Keyblade off him.

“Roxas.” They spoke hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

Xion tilted their head to look at him.

“What are you?”

Roxas had never been asked that question before. He frowned, “I’m just a Nobody.”

Sometimes he wished he really could see Xion’s face. With it half hidden they always remained a mystery, no matter how many questions he asked them.

Xion backed off slowly before spinning around and leaving without a word.

 _Did I answer wrong?_ Roxas wondered as he watched the door close behind them.

 

\---

 

Late nights were becoming more common for Roxas. He tried not to let his hands fumble as he tweaked at the coupling of what would hopefully become Toothless’ new appendage. The leather was wrapped around an iron centre.  With his knowledge of the training dummy joints, he was able to rig a pulley system where he could move the appendage joint without actually touching it.

 _Now all I have to do is actually attach it_. Roxas sat back and peered over his work. He could hear Brextor snoring away in the room next door. He never knew the sound of snoring could make someone feel sleepy, but then again, he had just pulled seven late-nighters in a row.

 _The day after tomorrow_. Roxas yawned as he wrapped up his work. He’d get some rest. Try not to anger Saïx and then, if all things went well, he would have time to visit Toothless the next day.

 

 

\---

 

“Look what I’ve got for you Toothless,” Roxas hefted up the makeshift, homemade, crafted appendage that he had managed to put together. Toothless was rather unimpressed with it and promptly went back to eyeing up the fish in the lake.

“Oh come on, Toothless,” Roxas sighed. “With this you might be able to shadow travel again! It’ll balance you out… or something. I don’t really know how it works.”

When Toothless proceeded to edge away from him, he gave the Night Fury a hard stare. “Well, I’m not going to catch any fish for you until you give it a go.”

Toothless’ ears perked up at the mention of ‘fish’. It began to nose Roxas towards the lake.

“Hey! Hey! I said fish after you put it on!”

Roxas wasn’t sure why, but the Night Fury always seemed keen on hunting. But despite his efforts Toothless never actually ate anything they killed. Instead the Night fury would cough up the remnants for Roxas’ consumption (Much to Roxas’ annoyance). Roxas had also discovered that Toothless had no interest in fish that were already dead.

A creature that would kill but not consume, that was another fact Roxas had learned about Heartless.

“I said no!” Roxas promptly sat down in the cold mud. Toothless continued to nudge him but he refused to move. “Show me your wing, Toothless.”

The Night Fury gave a low growl but reluctantly sat and stretched out it’s wing for Roxas.

“Thank you,” Roxas sighed as he stood up and grabbed his makeshift appendage. “Was that so hard?” The Night Fury responded flicking its tail just enough to slap Roxas on the back of his head.

“Ow!”

Turns out attaching his’ contraption to a live Heartless was a lot harder than Roxas anticipated. He couldn’t stop it from going wonky and the ropes kept getting twisted around the base of the wing. It also didn’t help that Toothless refused to sit still throughout most of the session.

“Okay, this isn’t going to work,” Roxas sighed as he sat back against the ground. He chewed his lip as he considered the rather tied up looking Heartless in front of him. Toothless shifted uncomfortably.

“You might get your wing back, but those ropes aren’t going to help you.” Roxas muttered, more to himself than Toothless. He blinked. “Oh that’s it! You need an anchor.”

Toothless looked sideways at him.

“If I made a harness or something…” Roxas reached for his diary and pulled out a charcoal piece to write with. “Something that would stay still on your body to keep the wing piece in check…” He basically did the same thing when he hung up his hammock in Axel’s shack, using two anchor points to set up the hammock in between.

A heavy nudge from behind knocked his diary into the mud.

“Hey!” Roxas turned around to find Toothless looking rather unsettled about being tied up. “Oh, sorry.” He stood up and tried to help the Night Fury get free.

Turned out taking his contraption off was even harder than putting it on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One day Roxas might be able to summon his Keyblade.   
> Today is not that day.
> 
> On another note, due to living arrangements becoming... interesting. I may not have the space/time to write as much as did before. So the fic will be placed on a short hiatus. Hopefully I'll be able to update again around late August. 
> 
> If you wish to help support this fic in the mean time, please comment or share it with others (I count all those hits). That would definitely keep me motivated :)
> 
> And as always, huge thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!


	16. Chapter 16

_There is an anomaly within the experiment._

_I suspect that this anomaly has occurred due to external temperament and would advise a hard reset. However Chief Xemnas appears to be intrigued by this development and has prevented me from doing so._

_He has abstained from explaining his reasons, but I have my own hypotheses._

 

 

 

It took Roxas just over a week to create the harness needed to anchor Toothless’ appendage. Such a speedy completion was the result of having too much free time. Brextor seemed to have taken subtle interest in what Roxas was working on and allowed Roxas free use of the smithy as long as he didn’t get in his way. Not that there was much chance of that happening, because Roxas was determined to keep his work as secret as possible.

However, this did mean that his afternoons and mornings were free of blacksmith work, as long as Brextor saw Roxas working on something once per day. This also meant Roxas had more time to visit Toothless and check he had the right measurements for his work.In the time it took to finish, it hailed three times and Larxene remained the only new NIT to learn to summon her weapon.

Roxas was still banned from NIT training and every time he was certain Saïx had run out of ideas for punishment, he’d come up with some new torture. His latest one had been rather different from the usual.

 

“Yeah, yeah, okay I get it. I smell.” Roxas tried to push off the Night Fury that was sniffing him curiously. His clothes stank of wet sheep wool. And this was the day after Saïx had forced him to spend the afternoon wrangling the flock of sheep that had wandered from their usual pasture. Typically, that job would have gone to Larxene, whose actual job it was to look after the flock, but since Roxas was available the task was given to him.

Toothless sneezed, splattering Roxas with a flattering amount of Heartless snot.

“Thanks, buddy.”

After the Night Fury had gotten used to the smells, Roxas got to work attaching the harness. Learning from his past mistake, it only took slightly longer than Roxas would have hoped. Still, once he got to attaching the new wing limb, he found himself tied up in knots again.

“Okay, Toothless, I swear if you don’t sit still right now, I am going to murder you.” Roxas struggled to free his hand from where it had gotten caught under the harness. The Night Fury responded with a snort and promptly rolled over. “Toothless!”

Pulled by his hand Roxas was dragged into the mud. The icy muck splattered the side of his face and filled his nostrils. His hand was trapped under the Heartless’ body and he couldn’t pull it free.

“Toothless…” Roxas spluttered through a mouthful of mud. The Night Furry didn’t move. “Toothless, move. Toothless!”

He was struggling to free himself now. His wrist was twisted painfully in the wrong direction. Mud was filling his mouth. His heartbeat spiked; he couldn’t breathe.

“Toothless!”

He struck out with his legs, kicking something, he didn’t know what. He kicked again and again until the weight shifted off him. He sat up, gasping. The harness was now loose enough for him to pull his hand out. He did so hastily, cradling it to his chest as he backed away.

Toothless, who was only a little bit perturbed by Roxas’ floundering, was now regarding the Nobody strangely. Roxas backed off as the Night Fury edged closer. He wasn’t going to check that he was alright with a Heartless breathing down his neck.

“Stop.” He tried to signal with his free hand, but the gesture sent a jolt of pain up his injured arm. “Toothless, I said stop.”

The Night Fury cocked its head and took another step.

“I said back off!”

Something burned in his chest; he wasn’t sure what, but it was strong. The feeling rushed down his uninjured arm and he was suddenly blinded by a bright light. If he was more aware of what was happening, he may have noticed the weight that had formed in his grip, but he was already falling over. Whatever he held in his hand had already disappeared before he hit the mud.

He lay on the ground, panting as he stared up at the sky. He felt drained.

Sitting up took effort. He blinked in surprise to find Toothless crouched some distance away, not in a position to attack but defensively, growling at Roxas in low tones.

“Uh, sorry…” Roxas dropped his head. He had acted rashly…

 _No that’s not it_ , Roxas frowned. _There was something that made me act like that. A feeling_.

He glanced down at his hands. His right arm still twinged painfully; his left felt like lightning had just run through it.

 _Maybe summoning your weapon does have something to do with feelings?_ He chewed his lip as he thought about it. _But that can’t be. Can it? I don’t have feelings. It must be something else._

The sound of movement snapped him out of his thoughts. Toothless was attempting to shadow travel with the harness still strapped on. As the Heartless melted into its own shadow, the harness sparked strangely. It put off the Night Fury’s path and it crashed into the ground on the other side of the clearing.

“I guess I better fix that tomorrow,” Roxas sighed.

Sometimes he wondered if he was making the Night Fury’s life worse.

 

\---

 

It had seemed that Saïx had given up being patient with the NITs’ progress and had decided to take things to the extreme.

“You want us to fight a Darkside?” Demyx gaped at him. “Without any weapons?”

“Correction, I want you to fight the Darkside by summoning your own weapons,” Saïx replied.

“This will be a piece of cake!” Larxene smirked as she twitched her fingers playfully.

“Considering you’ve only summoned your weapon once,” Zexion said, giving her a side glance, “I wouldn’t be that excited.”

“The only exception,” Saïx said over the top of them, “is that Xion will be fighting with a completely ordinary weapon for the duration of the fight.”

“About time they got a handicap,” Larxene muttered as Xion stepped forward to claim the weapon.

Roxas eyed the axe in their hand. The shape was obviously reminiscent of the Keyblade that Xion usually wielded. Despite that, he was sure that both Xion and Saïx knew that an ordinary blade, made of plain metal, would do nothing to harm the Heartless.

“Xion, under no circumstance are you to summon your Keyblade.” Saïx gave the NIT a hard stare. “Do you understand?”

Xion gave a slight nod of their hooded head. “I understand.”

“Good.” Saïx turned to face where the Heartless was held. “We shall begin, then.”

“Um, sir?” Roxas called out tentatively. “What am I supposed to do today?”

“Your job today is to mend those barrels in the corner over there.” Saïx pointed over to where a pile of broken wood stood.

“Mend… the barrels?”

“Is there something you cannot understand?” Saïx gave Roxas a hard stare.

“I mean, is it safe to do that while you’re letting a live Heartless loose in here?”

“Well then, you’d better know to defend yourself. Or pray the Heartless doesn’t seek you out.”

“Oh, sure, ‘cause that always goes well,” Roxas muttered under his breath.

“Poor baby wants to join the big kids,” Larxen sneered as she punched him in his injured arm. Roxas hissed as the pain shot through his shoulder. He made a face at her, but she just giggled at his response.

“Are we ready?” Saïx asked as he prepared to open the gate holding the Darkside. Roxas backed off towards the pile of broken barrels.

“Can we have a moment to summon our weapons first?” Demyx asked.

“No.”

And with that the doors burst open as the Darkside entered the arena.

The huge Heartless stormed forward, crossing the arena in just four strides. It slammed one of its mighty fists against the wall. A bright flash emanated across the room; when the light died down, Roxas could see that the wall was left completely untouched.

 _They’ve reinforced the arena,_ Roxas thought.

Before the Darkside could strike again, a bolt of lightning struck it in the back. Or would have struck it in the back, if there wasn’t already a big gaping hole in its chest. It turned around to find Larxene behind it, shouting random insults.

“Yeah, that’s it, Fat Face,” she cried as she drew her arm back. Something different happened in her hand this time. Her magic became concentrated, became solid. Roxas could just make out a small object caught between her fingers before she thrust her arm outwards. The object flew like a dart, straight into the Darkside’s eye.

“Bull’s eye!”

This seemed to really anger the Heartless. It let out a roar as it swatted at Larxene with its massive clawed hands. Larxene, who was not expecting such an aggressive reaction, was flung into the far corner of the arena. She lay still.

 _Boy am I lucky I don’t actually have to fight_ , Roxas thought, hiding behind the broken barrels like a barricade.

To his surprise, Xion was the next to strike, despite their lack of a weapon. They charged at the Darkside, using its hand as a platform as they dashed up its arm. They almost reached its head but the Heartless shook violently, causing Xion to fall.

They landed heavily in a roll, quick to their feet as the Darkside immediately stuck the ground where they had just been. Just as the Heartless began to hunt them, it was interrupted by an attack from behind.

Demyx and Zexion stood side by side as they both hurled magic at the Darkside. For a moment it seemed like they were making progress in the fight, until Saïx appeared before them and blocked their attacks.

“I thought I told you to summon your weapons and fight.” He glared at the two of them.

“C’mon, you’re really gonna stop out magic?” Demyx spluttered as his jet of water was redirected back at his face.

“If you cannot learn to summon your weapon, you are unfit to be a warrior,” Saïx replied, nimbly dodging to the side as the Darkside took a wide swing.

Demyx and Zexion weren’t so lucky. Even with faster reflexes Zexion was only just able to block in time. Both NITs were cast to the ground.

Before the two of them could be annihilated Xion was on the offensive again, darting around the Darkside, jumping in to land a hit before retreating away again. The Heartless stomped as it twisted and turned, trying to corner the hooded NIT.

For a moment Roxas watched the bizarre scene play out. A NIT, bearing nothing but an ordinary weapon, holding their own against a Darkside, a Heartless he had only ever seen Chief Xemnas take down.

But then something happened, Roxas couldn’t quite see it. Maybe Xion tripped, maybe they lost their balance? But the Darkside was finally able to nail them.

Its fist came down hard, smacking Xion to the ground. Their weapon clattered as it fell from their hand. The Darkside struck again. Xion was just barely able to raise their hands in a feeble attempt to block the oncoming blow.

“Xion!” Roxas found himself calling out. He half expected them to summon their Keyblade, fight the Darkside with a fair weapon. But they lay on the ground desperately trying to hold off the Heartless with no way of fighting back.

Xion rolled as another fist slammed into the ground. Roxas glanced around the room. Zexion and Demyx were still pulling themselves together. Larxene stood off at a distance, merely watching it all unfold. She was too far away for Roxas to read her expression. As his gaze sought out Saïx, he saw that the warrior had no intention of calling off the battle.

Xion was all alone.

Roxas was moving before he could even register leaving the barrels behind. He raced across the arena, his right arm twinging painfully each time it swung as he ran. The Darkside was getting ready for another hit, bringing back its arm for the final crushing blow.

Roxas only had one thought as he leapt in front of Xion.

_Protect._

A bright light flashed before him, blinding his sight. He felt a familiar pull in his chest as a weight appeared in his hand. This time he held onto that weight, letting the feeling linger as he brought his arms in front of him to defend the blow.

He was just in time. The Darkside’s fist rammed into him. He stumbled back, but kept his footing. He kept holding onto the weight in his hand like a lifeline. His other shoulder was screaming in pain; something was definitely wrong with the joint.

The Darkside recoiled back as if burned. Maybe it was, considering the black smoke as steamed from its hand. It growled at Roxas, but not threateningly. Roxas had heard this kind of growl before, from Toothless.

The Darkside was scared.

“Not so tough now, are you big guy?” Roxas muttered to himself. He took a slow step forward. The Darkside took a step back.

“Yeah, that’s it.” Roxas took another step forward. “You back off.” Bearing the weight in his hand in front of him, he could see that he had summoned his weapon. It was a Keyblade, very much like Xion’s.

The Darkside growled at him as he ushered it back to the gate which it had come from. It recoiled from Roxas’ Keyblade every time he swung it forward. When he finally managed to corner it, Roxas shut the doors to its enclosure and locked them.

Only then did the Keyblade disappear from his grip. A wave of exhaustion came over him and he rested for a moment against the door for support. Breathing heavily, he turned to see if Xion was alright…

Everyone was staring at him.

“Uh…” Roxas blinked in surprise, “I’ll just… go back to my barrels.”

“Hold it, twerp!” Larxene intercepted him. “Just how long have you been able to summon a weapon?”

“I- just now-“

“Yeah, and it was a Keyblade, too.” Demyx joined her side. “Just like Xion’s.”

“I honestly don’t really know-“

“Roxas, have you always been left-handed?”

“I…” Roxas frowned as he pondered over Zexion’s question. “Apparently?”

“That explains so much.” Larxene slapped a hand to her cheek. “No wonder you’re so useless all the time. You’re using the completely wrong hand.” She began to laugh. “I can’t believe you’re such an idiot!”

“Hey, no one told me I was fighting wrong…”

“Enough.” Saïx’s voice brought a hush over the entire group. The yellow-eyed warrior cast a cold glance over Roxas. His gaze made Roxas swallow reflexively. “Roxas,” he held his gaze, “it seems you have managed to adapt while you have been banished from Heartless training.”

“Adapt?” Roxas asked with a small voice.

“Your suspension is hereby under review.” Saïx turned away. “In the meantime, I suggest you go to the infirmary to get that dislocated shoulder fixed.”

“My _what_ shoulder?”

“He means this,” Demyx answered for him by punching him in his injured arm. Roxas let out a cry of pain.

“Don’t you know what a dislocated joint is?” Zexion gave him a curious look. “We learnt it in first aid.”

“Well I’ve never seen one before, much less felt one before.” Roxas replied defensively as he dodged a teasing punch from Larxene.

“He truly is this isle’s biggest idiot.” Larxene sighed, “Demyx, you’ve been overthrown.”

“I’ve been what?”

Roxas left them to argue, quietly slipping out of the arena and head back to the entrance of the Underdome. Just before he reached the stairs, he was stopped one more time.

“Roxas?”

Xion was following him down the corridor.

“Oh, hey Xion,” Roxas turned to face them. “Are you alright?”

Xion gave a light nod. “Yes.” They paused for a moment. “Roxas?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you save me?”

Roxas blinked. “Why? Because you needed help, right?”

Xion tilted their head. “That’s it?”

“Well, yeah, basically.” Roxas scratched the back of his head. “Well actually, there was something else…”

“Something else?”

“Yeah, I was kinda wondering if maybe…” Roxas’ sentence disappeared under his mumbling.

“Maybe what?”

“Do you want to be friends?” Roxas snapped his head up.

“Friends?”

“Yeah, friends,” Roxas nodded. “Like, people who hang out together. Or look out for each other, you know? Help each other… and that sort of stuff.”

“Oh…” Xion’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry… I don’t think I can… I don’t really know much about friends.”

“Oh, okay,” Roxas stepped back. “To be honest, I don’t really know much about it either.”

He turned and began to head up the rickety staircase.

“Roxas!” He paused as Xion called out behind him.

“Yeah?” he replied as he peered over the railing.

Xion was staring back up at him with vibrant blue eyes, the hood having been removed. She had the face of a young girl, maybe around his age. Her long black hair was held in a braid that came over her shoulder, a few loose strands fell across her face.

“Thank you, for saving me.” She almost smiled before turning away and returning to the arena.

Roxas watched Xion go. “Uh, sure. No problem…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, hiatus is now over. Hope you didn't miss me too much.   
> For anyone who was worried, everything is fine now and I managed to get some good writing done. 
> 
> Yall don't understand how happy I am the finally finish this chapter, cause now I can call Xion by her proper pronouns. Also note that in this au her hair is grown out and is kept in a braid similar to Astrid's. 
> 
> Once again, huge thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	17. Chapter 17

_Xion’s been weirdly distant ever since I summoned my the Keyblade in that training session._

_I wonder if mine is the same as hers? I haven’t had the chance to compare them yet. They certainly seem similar. The weight is about the same._

_Anyway, now that I know how to control my weapon a bit more, I still need to work on my_ other _problem…_

 

 

The inside of the study hall was freezing. The main source of heat in the entire room was the huge hearth that lay in the centre of the room. At this time of night the fire had died down and was nothing more than a few smouldering logs, but it was better than sitting near the entrance, which had partially iced over in the cold weather.

Roxas sighed as he pushed aside another book. His fingers were numb. Ideally he would have liked to sit close to the fire, but due to his position in the pecking order, he had been pushed to a further table.

In the weeks that had passed since his Keyblade summoning a lot had happened. Saїx was now including him in Heartless training; this meant that he was also subject to being chased down whatever Heartless Saїx had in stock for that week. Xion was still prohibited to summon her weapon during these sessions and would often take the blows for it. Sometimes Roxas wondered why she tried so hard to fight with a weapon that couldn’t even harm Heartless.

Xion hadn’t spoken to him properly since he had summoned the Keyblade. However, every time Roxas saved her from a dangerous Heartless blow, she would thank him for it. Although, that happened just about as much as she chided him for getting in her way.

The intensive training had also forced the rest of the NITs to summon their weapons as well. Demyx’s weapon looked more like an instrument to Roxas, but it did seem effective for whacking Heartless in the head with. Zexion had managed to summon a book of sorts. Roxas wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, but his magic suddenly increased in power whenever he summoned it.

Roxas turned another page over. He’d already read this book, but he was reading it again to see if he had missed something the first time. His research this time was about Toothless, or more accurately how the Night Fury’s shadow travelling worked.

He’d noticed, after a few unsuccessful attempts, that while the appendage worked as well as Roxas could make it, Toothless still couldn’t shadow travel with it. It wasn’t so much to do with the mechanisms of the piece, Roxas had had plenty of time to work those out, but rather how it reacted when Toothless merged into a shadow. While the rest of the Night Fury could flatten into a shadow fairly effortlessly, the appendage never did.

 _So what makes the Heartless so special?_ Roxas wondered as he flicked over another page. Only more useless information greeted him. He groaned inwardly and closed the book. He picked up another and opened it to a random page. He stared at it without taking anything in before something caught his eye.

_The Heartless: beings made completely out of the shadow of a heart._

_Shadows, huh?_ Roxas brought his hand up in front of him, the light from the fire cast a shadow over the book’s pages. _Shadows can move around pretty freely_ , he thought as he moved his hand across the page.

Maybe that was the problem, he couldn’t turn the appendage into shadow because that was impossible. After all, metal is just metal.

_Or is it?_

Roxas blinked and glanced up to where Zexion was sitting. Zexion would often come to help Vexen and Brextor forge synthesised material. There were many different types that they worked with, and Roxas could never remember what they were all used for, but a certain memory struck him.

_“If you must know, this particular material…Is designed to mimic what the Heartless are made of themselves.”_

_“Why? So you can make Heartless yourselves?”_

“Mimic what a Heartless is made of...” Roxas thought.

He needed some of that material. He didn’t know if it would work yet, but it was worth a shot.

Larxene’s loud yawn and muttering about back sores alerted the room to her departure. Demyx had left sometime earlier.  Now it was just Roxas, Zexion and Xion. Roxas waited until Xion excused herself, leaving through some back entrance, before he finally approached the other NIT.

He got up from the table, stretching, before making his way over.

“Hey, Zexion?” he asked as he approached him. The other Nobody didn’t look up from his book. “I uh, had a question for you.”

“For me?” Zexion gave him a doubtful glance.

“Yes, I wanted to know about synthesised material-“

“I’m not allowed to talk to you,” Zexion cut him off.

Roxas frowned, “Not allowed?”

“Something you don’t understand?”

“But why would you not be allowed to talk to me?” Roxas didn’t understand.

“Look, all you need to worry about,” Zexion spoke as he stood, “is not bothering to talk to me, while I don’t bother to talk to you.”

He shouldered his way past Roxas, putting his books back on the pile before leaving thought the front entrance. Zexion sighed as he made his way through the frosted streets.

 _Now what could he want to know about synthesised material for_? The NIT wondered.

 

\---

 

Roxas was woken up by the cold the next morning. He shivered and inched closer to the leftover embers in the furnace. Recently he’d had to change his sleeping location. Sleeping on the floor was cold, but he often left the coals in the furnace glowing just enough to keep him warm during the night.

It was still dark but the snores of Brextor came to an abrupt halt as the Nobody yawned, waking up.

With Brextor already rummaging around, humming to himself very loudly, Roxas decided he wasn’t going to get anymore sleep before dawn.

 _At least Axel only ever woke me up intentionally_ , Roxas sighed as he rubbed his eyes. Back when the flame-headed Nobody still looked after him, mornings either started with Roxas waking Axel up by falling out of the hammock, or with Axel having already left. Probably so he wouldn’t have to babysit Roxas right from sunrise.

“Hey Roxas!” Brextor bellowed. ”You left your stuff on the workbench here!”

My stuff? Roxas wondered wearily. He blinked.

The blueprints.

Instantly awake, Roxas shot up and dashed over, stumbling over his blankets. As he burst into the workshop side room, he saw Brextor casually mulling over the sheets of paper.

Roxas blanked. He had forgotten to pack away the blueprints after he edited them last night, and he’d been too tired to notice.

“So, this is what you’ve been working on, eh?” Brextor reached out a hand and pulled one of the pieces of paper over.

Roxas held his breath.

“Toothless’, hmm…” Brextor scanned the blueprint over. “What a funny name…”

Roxas opened his mouth to speak but his voice wouldn’t work for some reason. Brextor glance over at him.

“Why are you standing there like a ghost? This is interesting stuff, Roxas. Never heard of a blacksmith who wanted to create a Heartless before.”

Roxas blinked. _Wait…_

“Sounds like Vexen must have had some influence over you, or maybe his little apprentice that trains with you instead? This looks like just the wing though, are you going to make the whole Heartless?”

Roxas breathing started again. Brextor didn’t know this was about a real Heartless. He just thought Roxas making random Heartless parts to make the whole thing. He sighed in relief.

“Oh y-yeah, Project Toothless. I guess I never told you about it.” Roxas walked over and carefully picked up the paper that Brextor wasn’t holding. “I thought training with real Heartless was too hard, so I thought why not make Heartless training dummies instead? Better ones than what we have.”

“Hey, I designed those training dummies you’re talking about.” Brextor looked up from the blueprint he was holding. His eyes held a faraway gaze. Roxas got the impression he was seeing more than just the wall on the other side of the room. His eyes snapped back and he handed the last piece of paper to Roxas. “Well if you need any help just let me know. It would be good for new NITs to get some better equipment.”

“Yeah, about that…” Roxas spoke quietly, “Could you perhaps not tell everyone about it? It’s still just an idea really…”

Brextor didn’t bat an eye. “The higher ups probably already know about it.”

“… What?”

“For a blacksmith, it’s important to know where resources are going.” Brextor pulled out a fresh blueprint and tapped one of the corners. “See this mark here?” Very faintly Roxas could see a strange symbol shine on the surface. “It’s spell work. Let’s them see that you’re writing on the paper.”

Brextor sat back as looked down at Roxas, “It’s why paper is such a limited resource here.” Seeing the expression on Roxas’ face he added. “This paper’s registered out by me, and I’m not just going to let anyone use it. If anyone didn’t like what you were making, I’d be the first to hear about it.”

“Oh, okay.” Roxas relaxed a bit. With a bit of luck, his drawings would be so terrible that they’d mistake what he was doing as much as Brextor did. Maybe he should draw some fake blueprints to throw them off as well?

“So,” Roxas spoke as another thought came to him, “what about our Diaries?”

“Hmm?”

“Our diaries,” Roxas said again. “Do they check those as well?”

“Why would they need to?” Brextor replied, “Diaries are just something to keep the Nobodies sane around here. Like I said before, it’s to check the resources, not spy into Nobodies’ comments on day to day life.”

Roxas decided that he would have to agree with him. Besides, if any of the higher ups had found out that he had been helping a Night Fury, he was sure Toothless wouldn’t still be here right now.

“Oh, right.” Roxas began to back off but a thought came to him. “Hey, Brextor?”

“Yeah?” Brextor turned back to face him.

“Do you think...” Roxas paused, wondering how to phrase his question without sounding suspicious. “You know what would really make these dummies different from the ones we use now?”

“What?”

“Different synthesised material, you know, like that really shadowy stuff we made here a couple times.”

“Hmm,” Brextor scratched his beard. “Shadowy stuff- ah! I know what you’re talking about!”

“Do you think... you could get me some to work with?” Roxas held his breath as he waited for Brextor to answer.

“Hmm, that might be a tricky one.” Brextor thought for a moment. “I can look into it if you want, but I can’t promise anything.”

Roxas instantly lit up. “That would be great. Thank you!”

As he left he didn’t notice the blacksmith watching him go. After the door closed behind him Brextor spoke in a rather uncharacteristically quiet voice to the empty room.

“How strange for a Nobody to smile like that.”

 

\---

 

It took a couple days but Roxas was finally able to acquire some of the synthesised material he had asked for. It was only a small amount, not enough to make the missing appendage out of, but it was enough for Roxas to test his theory.

“It’s more or less reject stuff, so don’t be surprised if it blows up on you,” Brextor had said as he handed it to him. “But it’s all I could get off the old Alchemist at the moment.”

“Thank you,” When he took the material off Brextor’s hands it felt hot. He recalled picking up a piece of the recombined synthesised material; it had burnt the glove he was wearing at the time. Roxas just hoped the stuff didn’t spontaneously combust on him.

After that it was a matter of shaping the material into something that would at least stay on a moving Heartless long enough to test his theory. Fortunately, he had plenty of experience making hinges for all the broken doors of the village. Making something like a clasp was easy for him.

The next day, he trudged through the frozen forest to find Toothless. It had snowed overnight, creating a white dusting over the village. However, as the day progressed it had rained and washed all the snow out. Now all that remained here mushy puddles.

Roxas’ nose stung from the cold. He sniffed, trying to stop it from running, but the icy air made his eyes water. The wet season was uncomfortable enough as it was, he didn’t need it to be freezing as well.

Roxas sighed as he came across the clearing where Toothless lived. He called out to let the Heartless know he was there. A roar from the other side of the clearing penetrated the silence of the place as the Night Fury bounded over.

“Hey there, Toothless- woah! Okay, I get it, did you miss me?” Roxas stumbled as he tried to push back the Heartless as it gave him a sloppy lick up the side of his face. It made his hair stand up lopsidedly. “I know I was gone for a while, but it was worth it…”

Roxas pulled out the synthesised material. He had reworked it into a clasp that could attach around one of the appendages of Toothless’ wings. If all went well, the material could meld with Toothless’ shadow. If all went terribly, Toothless would be missing another wing part.

“Hold still a second,” Roxas muttered as he clasped the piece on. Toothless seemed rather shifty about having something else attached to its body. “I _am_ trying to help you,” Roxas sighed as he finally got it secure. “It’s just a lot more complicated than I thought it would be.”

He stepped back to let the Night Fury do its thing. Toothless had become accustomed to Roxas’ handling and was already stretching its wings, getting ready for shadow traveling.

Roxas watched as the Heartless paused for a moment before bounding forward. As it ran, it suddenly sunk into the ground, as if it had fallen into water or something. But instead, Toothless had slipped into its own shadow. Completely. No sign of the synthesised material hindering anything.

Roxas blinked, then raised his arms in the air, “It worked!”

Just as he said that, Toothless’ shadow twisted violently, throwing the Night Fury halfway across the clearing. Roxas hurried over.

“Toothless?”

The Heartless snorted at him, standing up groggily. Roxas approached carefully and looked over the synthesised material. It was smoking a little, but otherwise mostly intact.

Roxas couldn’t quite describe the feeling that drew his face into a grin, but it was good.

“Toothless, we’re one step closer to getting you out of here,” he said as he unclipped the material.

Toothless snorted again.

“I’m serious! Now I just need a lot more of this material…”

The Night Fury interrupted his train of thought by nudging him roughly. Roxas stumbled and gave a sigh. “Fine, I guess we can play around for a bit first.”

He grabbed a broken branch off the ground and bopped Toothless on the nose with it. Toothless sneezed and proceeded to try and tried to take the stick off him. The two of them spent their afternoon running around the muddy clearing having far too much fun than any normal Nobody or Heartless ought to.

 

\---

 

As the sun set, a dismal fleet of broken boats drifted their way across the sea. The glare off the water hit Axel’s eyes as he raised a hand to block it out. A familiar shape appeared on the horizon. A crag of rocks jutted out from the water. It was landmark for sore eyes indeed. It meant they were no more than a week out from the Isle that Never Was, if the tide allowed.

Axel rolled his shoulders, his injured arm twinged painfully. Soon this whole horrible journey would be over. Maybe he could retire once he got back, would Saïx even let him?

 

 _Who am I kidding?_ Axel sighed as he made his way below deck. _Nobodies can’t retire._

Still, there was one other thought that had been lingering on his mind ever since their journey back.

_I wonder if Roxas is still alive._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxas is one step closer to fixing Toothless, and Axel is one step closer to joining us again in this story.
> 
> As always, thank you HouseofSannae for beta reading this chapter!
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	18. Chapter 18

_It’s been so long since I could feel._

_Sometimes I catch myself thinking about it without realising. Like I am right now._

_Like, how long has it been since I actually, genuinely, smiled? I can’t even say._

_Not that I can regret it, I don’t have the heart to. We made our choice to follow this path, and now we must stick to it._

_I’m going to keep out promise, Isa._

 

 

 

The tide allowed them to dock around noon. Axel had never been more grateful to set foot on dry land. Well, ‘dry’ wasn’t exactly the word for it but at least it remained still.

That was what Axel had thought, but he had forgotten that once one acquired sea legs, it took a while to get rid of them back on land. He face-planted by the time he reached the end of the dock.

“Don’t think you can get out of unloading that easily.” Xaldin stood over him. “We have to salvage what we can before these leaking splinters sink to the bottom of the cove.”

Axel waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah sure, give me a minute. Not like there’s much left to salvage anyway.”

Xaldin gave a grunt and turned around to bark orders at some other Nobodies.

_Who died and made you leader?_ Axel sighed.

_Oh, wait._

Unwilling to actually help with the unloading, Axel waited for his nausea to pass before summoning a dark portal. He rolled through it, expecting to end up right inside his house. Instead, as he passed through, he found himself in front of a rather familiar pair of boots.

“I thought you might try to sneak back here.”

Axel replied with nothing but a grunt. As he sat up, he found that the place where his house had once stood was completely barren. No walls, no unhinged door, no bed. Only the foundations and a crumpled fireplace remained. Axel scowled and looked up at the blue-headed warrior standing over him.

“Saïx, where’s my house?”

Saïx’s yellow eyes were neither welcoming nor considerate. “It’s gone.”

“Yeah, I have eyes,” Axel grumbled as he sat up. “Where did it go?”

“Where do you think?”

Axel sighed. Night Raid, probably. That was how the last one went as well. The rest of his houses… well let’s just say those fires were mostly started by Axel and not Heartless.

Rebuilding wasn’t necessarily going to be a big issue; the village would provide for that. But for luxury items, such as a bed, you had to haggle with the Moogles. If Axel had feelings, he would definitely hate haggling with the Moogles.

“So, the house aside…” Axel stood up. The ground swayed slightly. “Where’s Roxas?”

Saïx made a sound that was close to a _huff_. “Gone.”

Axel blinked. “Gone?”

He knew the broken house wasn’t a good sign, but he had assumed that Roxas wouldn’t have been in it anyway. Something inside his chest felt hollow.

“Yes,” Saïx replied. “He usually disappears most mornings or afternoons.”

Axel had a sudden urge to slap Saïx. “So, do you know where he might be, then?”

“Where Roxas goes in his spare time, does not concern me,” Saïx replied icily. Then as an afterthought, he added, “But you night be able to find him roaming the forest of the nearby valley.”

“The valley?” Axel frowned, “Whatever, I’ll find him at some point.” As he turned to go Saïx stopped him. “What now?”

“Did you succeed in you mission?” Saïx glared at his tone.

“Do you see Marly walking around anywhere?” Axel glared back.

Saïx held him for a moment longer before letting go. “Good. You will be needed on standby over these next few weeks.”

“Lemme guess, it’s for something you can’t ‘disclose’ with me yet?”

“Precisely.”

Axel threw up his hands. “Fine I won’t ask.”

As he turned to leave, he heard a quiet. “Lea.”

“Mmm?”

Saïx was also half turned away. “I commend you on your safe return.”

It took Axel a moment to recognise the compliment. By the time he did, Saïx was already long gone. He shook his head and started heading eastward.

He had a young Nobody to find.

 

\---

 

Despite the heavy weight on his back, Roxas still made his way through the valley forest with much vigour. After pleading with Brextor, and some stealing and persistence, Roxas had acquired enough synthesised material to make the new appendage for Toothless’ wing. Sure, it wasn’t the best material to work with, but if he got it right then he could refine the design.

As he made his way down to the clearing, he thought he heard the skittering of stones from behind him. Glancing back, he scanned the treeline, but nothing caught his eye.

Just as he was turning around, a heavy arm landed on his shoulder. “Roxas! Long-time no see.”

Roxas nearly jumped out of his skin. Whirling around, he found a familiar redhead looking down at him.

“Axel!”

“In the flesh,” He smirked as he considered Roxas’ reaction. “What’s with that expression?” he chucked, “Learn that from Demyx?”

“Wh… What are you doing here? I thought you were on a mission?” Roxas stammered.

“Done.” Axel placed his hands on his hips. “Can’t say it went well, but at least it’s over.” Smiling, he slapped Roxas on the back, jostling the appendage. “So, I heard you exceeded Saïx’s expectations. Good on you. Who knew you could actually make it through NIT training?”

“Ah haha… about that…”

Roxas was suddenly cut off by Axel’s gloved hand covering his mouth. The red-headed warrior wasn’t looking at him, but rather down into the clearing. Right were Toothless was glaring at them.

The Night Fury was letting out a low growl as it studied the two of them. It suddenly occurred to Roxas that perhaps the Heartless thought Axel was threatening him. He tried to remove himself from Axel’s grip, so he could hopefully clear up the situation, but Axel grabbed onto him and held him back.

That was all the Night Fury needed to see. Toothless raced forward, lunging up the cliff. Axel shoved Roxas back, summoning his flaming weapons.

“Axel, wait!” Roxas grunted as he struggled to get to his feet.

“It’s a Night Fury, Roxas!” Axel threw his weapons. “I’ll distract it while you make a break for it!”

The spiked rings arced through the air, barely missing Toothless only because the Heartless had lost its footing and slipped out of reach below the ledge. Regaining that footing, the Night Fury leapt onto the cliff ledge, snarling at Axel as the two circled each other.

Roxas threw himself between them.

“I said stop!”

All three members froze for a moment. Both the aggravators staring at Roxas in the centre, who stood with his arms out between them, gesturing for each one to stay put.

“Roxas what are you doing?” Axel asked, baffled. “It’s a Night Fury, it’ll kill you!”

“No, it won’t,” Roxas replied. “Just put away your weapons.”

“Like hell I will! Get away from it.”

Toothless snarled as Axel took a step towards Roxas.

“Toothless, stop! You’re not helping.” Roxas snapped at the Night Fury. Toothless paused, looking at Roxas and then back at Axel, before lowering its head and stepping back a few paces. It still glared at the warrior, making low growls in the back of its throat.

Axel could only stare.

“What?”

“Please,” Roxas insisted, “put your weapons away.”

Axel did. Though it was more out of shock than anything else. “Roxas, you…?”

“Uh… I suppose I should introduce you to Toothless.” Roxas gestured to the Night Fury. “Toothless, this is Axel. We don’t want to kill Axel. Axel is our friend.”

“Speak for yourself,” Axel huffed. His fingers were still twitching.

“Well you’re _my_ friend.” As Roxas spoke a strange expression fluttered over Axel’s face for a second. “And Toothless is… my friend as well. And it would be great if you didn’t kill each other.”

Axel’s gaze flicked between the two of them. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Fine, no killing.”

Roxas beamed, “Thank you.” He turned to the Night Fury. “That goes for you, too, Toothless.”

Toothless grumbled and sulked off, using its haphazard shadow travel to crash down the cliff. As Axel watched it go, he placed a hand on Roxas’ shoulder.

“You know, when I signed you up for Heartless training, this isn’t the kind of training I had in mind.”

Roxas shrugged.

“Yeah, well… It wasn’t the training I had in mind, either.”

 

\--- 

 

“So, you’ve been helping him recover ever since?” Axel was still warily watching the Heartless down the other end of the clearing. The Heartless in question warily watched him back.

“That’s right,” Roxas replied.

“And you fish for him, too?” Axel eyed Roxas’ makeshift fishing rod.

“Well, Toothless still needs to live off something to survive. He can’t steal hearts from the village, so he eats fish instead. But only live fish.” Roxas paused as he thought a fish had taken a bite out of his bait. But the line was still. “Do you think fish have hearts?’

“How should I know?” Axel laid back, staring at the sky. Roxas glanced at him for a moment before returning his focus to his fishing.

“How did your mission go?”

“Terrible.”

“Really?”

“Only just got back today. The fleet’s in pieces. Didn’t even find the Heartless nest we were looking for.”

“Sounds terrible then.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. Try adding two months of sea sickness on top of it.” Axel shifted so he could look as Roxas. “Vomiting. Every. Day.”

Roxas made a face. “Gross.”

There was a sudden tug on the line. Roxas began reeling it in. Due to his acquired experience with fishing, he had gotten quite good at it.

As he pulled the fish out of the water, Toothless wandered over. Axel seemed uneased by having a Heartless so close, so Roxas stepped between them, offering up the fish. Toothless ate it in one gulp, showing his empty black gums. A moment later he coughed up the remains on the ground.

Roxas skewered it with a stick and held it up. “Dinner?”

Axel raised an eyebrow. “You eat that?”

“Yeah,” Roxas shrugged, “Toothless doesn’t eat the bodies for some reason. So I usually eat the fish instead.”

Axel felt his sea sickness come back. “No thanks. I’m good.”

After Roxas had cleaned, gutted and cooked the fish, the smell started to make Axel’s stomach rumble. He ended up sharing the fish with Roxas. As the two of them ate, sheltered from the afternoon rain, Roxas suddenly remembered something.

“Oh yeah, your house burnt down.”

“I saw,” Axel ripped off a chunk of fish with his teeth. “Don’t suppose you were the one who did that?”

“Of course not. I promised not to set the house on fire.” He tapped the side of the head. “Didn’t you get it memorised?”

Axel chuckled as he pointed a grave finger at him. “You’ve learnt some sass while I was away. Did Saïx teach you that as well?”

Roxas frowned, “What’s ‘sass’?”

Axel waved a hand. “Never mind. Did any stuff survive?”

Roxas chewed his fish for a moment. “Yeah, a bunch. I took it to the smithy.”

“Well, you can keep looking after it until I get a house back.” Axel finished his fish and sat back, stretching.

“Oh yeah, there was also this,” Roxas put his fish down and searched his pockets. “Here,” he said as he found what he was looking for and handed it over to Axel.

It was the small stick of wood that had fallen out of Axel’s sheets. Axel blinked as he saw it. When he took it from Roxas’ hands, he stared at it for a moment. A shadow seemed to fall over his face.

“What does it say?” Roxas asked, indicating the runes etched into the wood.

Axel sighed and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s a relic from when I was a Somebody.”

“Really?” Roxas wondered what Axel would have been like as a Somebody.

“Yeah. I can show you where I got it; after we complete Kingdom Hearts and get our own Hearts back that is.” He blinked and looked back up at Roxas. “Oh yeah, have you regained your memories yet?”

Roxas frowned. Memories? He’d forgotten he’d lost them in the first place. He glanced back at Axel. “I guess not. But my memory is definitely better than it was when I first joined. I can remember half the things Saïx teaches me now.”

Axel gave a small chuckle. “I guess that counts as an improvement.”

By now Toothless was nosing around the new package that Roxas had brought with him. Roxas sighed and got up.

“Alright, alright, I’ll show you your new wing.”

Axel watched him as he took out the new appendage and began to attach it to the Night Fury. “So, you made this?”

“Yep.” Roxas gave Axel a grin. “And I didn’t even have to burn down the village to do so.” He turned back to Toothless as the Night Fury fidgeted. “Hold on, I’m nearly done!”

Finally, he stepped back and looked him over. Due to being made of synthesised material, the fake appendage blended in with the rest of Toothless’ wing. The movement of the appendage was limited to wherever gravity pulled it.

“Hmm,” Roxas though. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Probably,” Axel spoke up, “Can you stretch it out?”

“I think so,” Roxas extended the appendage at the joint and bolted a pin through it so that it was locked into position. “But Toothless won’t be able to fold his wings like that.”

“Well, maybe he doesn’t need to while he… uh what was it that you called it?”

“Shadow traveling.”

“Right, shadow traveling.”

“Okay…” Roxas looked back at Toothless. “Better give it a shot.”

Toothless nodded and backed up to the clearing. The Night Fury shifted its wings a bit as it tested them out. Satisfied with the balance, Toothless strode forward into its shadow travel.

The shadow glided across the clearing in a perfect line.

“It’s working,” Roxas blinked.

But as the Heartless approached the cliff wall it suddenly wobbled and flipped out.

“Not quite,” Axel tutted.

Roxas sighed and went to check on Toothless. “I’m so close, what could the problem be?”

Axel glanced at him and back to the Night Fury. “Try it again.”

“Huh?” Roxas glanced up at him. “Why?”

“Just try it.”

Roxas gave him a look but told Toothless to get up and try again. Once more, the Night Fury glided across the ground before crashing against the cliff face again.

“Now you’re just hurting Toothless.”

“If I wanted to hurt him, I would have just used my weapons.” Axel stepped forward, and to Roxas’ shock, summoned one of his weapons.

“Axel!”

Toothless hissed and shrank but Axel was no paying attention to the Night Fury. Instead, he turned away and sent the ring of spikes tearing along the ground. It left a searing mark in the mud behind it. Then, after it came back to him, he tossed it again, creating a second line intersecting with the first.

“There,” Axel dispelled his weapon and turned back to Roxas. “Now, see if he can travel down the first line and turn onto the second line when they meet.”

Roxas began to catch on to what Axel was thinking. “Alright then.”

Toothless gave Roxas an unimpressed look but got ready to shadow travel again. This time, he glided in a straight line until the intersection, when suddenly he crashed gain.

”That’s it.” Axel pointed at the intersecting lines. “He can’t turn.”

“Can’t turn?” Roxas glanced up from where he was looking over Toothless.

“Probably because he can’t move the appendage the way he wants it to.” Axel replied. “Also note the way he splays his wings before he shadow travels, the spikes around his head, too. He’s using them as sensors. Having an appendage that he can’t feel may also be throwing him off… Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, nothing,” Roxas focused back on Toothless. “I just realised how helpful you’re being even though you tried to kill Toothless earlier today. Thank you.”

Axel blinked, “Huh? I mean I’m not… helping, really. I’m just stating some facts.” He turned away, brushing the back of his hair. “Anyway, it’s getting late. We should head back before dinner is made.”

“Alright.”

After removing the appendage and saying goodbye to Toothless, the two of them began to walk back to the village.

“You won’t tell anyone about Toothless will you?” Roxas asked after a while.

“Nah. It’d be too much paperwork.”

“Axel, I’m serious.” Roxas stepped in front of Axel, blocking his path. “You have to promise. Like a friend.”

Axel glanced down at the small NIT before him. “Alright,” he said, holding out his hand. “I promise.”

Roxas grinned as he shook it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IDK there's just something about Axel that brings out my inner humour. It feels so good to write him after so long.
> 
> Big thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)
> 
>   
> 
> 
> PS. On a slightly unrelated note, I'm just gonna take a moment to announce a new work of mine coming out; "[Zeroxas Prompts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20673356)", so check it out if it interests you. The chapters are much shorter so it will be updating more frequently than this fic.   
> And while I'm at it I may as well also recommend my other KH series "[Kingdom Hearts Needs More Hugs](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1222724)" so if you haven't read that yet please give it a look.
> 
> Thanks again, and have a great day!


	19. Chapter 19

_I kill. That’s my job._

_Can’t say that I like it, but I can’t say I can dislike it either._

_Not having feelings means I don’t have to care about those I kill off. I can talk to anyone I please without getting attached. It’s almost too easy._

_I wonder if I’d still be able to do my job if I was human._

 

 

Axel did not like sleeping in the Sleeping Halls. It was crowded, noisy, no one had any sense of privacy. But most annoying was having to get up at the crack of dawn to avoid morning activities, such as the weekly Spin Class that was taking place there this morning.

Believing that several Nobodies spinning around the room as they were axe throwing was a health risk, Axel decided it would be best to leave.

He busied himself by patrolling around the village until breakfast. He stopped by the lot where his house once stood a few times out of habit, but lo and behold his house still wasn’t there. Even though it had been several days since his return, the village still hadn’t started construction on it.

Axel sighed and made his way over to the Main Hall for breakfast. He saw Roxas while he was there, talking to some hooded figure he couldn’t see the face of.

“Hey, Roxas,” Axel called as he walked over.

“Axel!” Roxas practically beamed as he came over.

 _I’m sure he never smiled this much before I left_ , Axel thought. _Scratch that. I don’t think he used to smile at all._

“Xion, this is Axel,” Roxas turned to the hooded figure beside him. “He left before you joined training, so I don’t know if you’ve met. He’s my friend.”

Axel blinked at the word friend being thrown out in the open so casually.

The hooded figure, now known as Xion, gave a polite greeting before excusing themselves and joining the back of the line.

“She doesn’t talk much,” Roxas explained. “She… well, I asked if she would be my friend, but she said no.”

“Huh,” Roxas, who hadn’t even known what a friend was before Axel had left, was now going around and trying to befriend others. “But you still talk to her?”

“Well, yeah. It doesn’t feel right when she’s all alone.”

There it was, that word, “feel”. Roxas had used it often in the past week. Hearing it used in such a way had caught Axel off guard at first. But now he’d mostly gotten used to the phrase, even if it was wrong.

“Well, look at you,” Axel hummed. “Making friends without me.”

“Without you?” Roxas looked up at him with an expression even Axel couldn’t recognise. “I wasn’t trying to make a new friend to replace you. I thought we could all be friends together and…”

“Relax, Roxas.” Axel slapped him on the back. “It was a joke.”

“Oh.”

A ruckus broke out ahead of them in the queue for food and the line moved forward. Axel ended up getting separated from Roxas and eating alone.

 

\---

 

The trouble with not having a Roxas to run around after was that it left Axel with nothing to do all day.Axel became painfully aware of that as he dropped by the smithy, expecting him to be there.

“Well, well, well, if it ain’t _Xobb_.” Axel exclaimed as he spotted the Blacksmith at the workbench. Nice to see you didn’t get picked off during a Night Raid.”

“You know I can handle myself, _Mr Dark Rescue_!”

“I’m just looking for the kid Brextor.”

“He ain’t here.” The blacksmith replied. “Got that NIT training to go to.”

“NIT training huh?” Axel pondered over the what to do.

He was tempted to show up there, just to see his progress, but he knew Saïx would not tolerate his presence. Considering that Axel probably wouldn’t be able to tolerate Saïx either.He decided it would be best if he didn’t turn up.

“Anything else I can get ya?” Brextor asked.

Axel waved him off. “No, my weapons are working fine. Don’t need handmade ones.”

He left the smithy and wandered outside for a bit. His pacing around the village ended up taking him to the one place he seemed to consistently visit.

“Good afternoon, Axel,” Luxord greeted Axel as he walked into the tavern. “I was surprised you didn’t turn up sooner. I was wondering if you had indeed perished on that mission.”

“I’m a lot tougher than people give me credit for,” Axel replied as he sat down at one of the seats at the bar. He made a gesture at some of the broken tables in the room. “I see you’ve redecorated.”

“Well we have had some particularly harsh Night Raids while you were gone.” Luxord pulled out a tankard. “And dealing with the Moogle Insurance has been a nightmare.” He placed the tankard on the bar top. “Are you going to order?”

“No, I shouldn’t,” Axel waved a hand. Then after another thought he changed his mind. “Actually, I’ll have one. The usual.”

Luxord nodded and proceeded to prepare his drink. “I hear Roxas is doing quite well at NIT training now.”

“Yeah, it was a surprise for me too.” Axel scratched the back of his head. “I’ve had too many surprises lately.”

“Oh?” Luxord handed his drink over.

“Yeah, well…” Axel paused as he took a long drink from the tankard. The Night Fury waiting out in the valley was still something he wasn’t sure how to handle. After he finished, he realised Luxord was waiting for him to continue. “Uh, well my house missing for one.”

“And how are things going on getting that repaired?”

Axel made a groaning sound and placed his head on the counter. “I would rather do anything than deal with Moogles at the moment. Trouble is I have nothing else to do except drink here.”

“Sounds like you need a hobby,” Luxord commented. “Have you tried yoga- “

“That’s not happening,” Axel assured him as he finished his drink.

“Outdoor bowling perhaps? Or I could use an extra hand in here to tidy up every once in a while…” Luxord continued.

“Yeah, definitely not.” Axel stood up and began to make his way outside. As he opened the door, Luxord called out again.

“I heard Marluxia didn’t survive the mission.”

Axel froze and peered back at the tavern keeper. “Yeah. That’s right.”

“Hmm,” Luxord picked up Axel’s empty tankard. “Some think it was an accident. Others claimed they saw a burning X upon his ship.” Luxord looked him in the eye. “I was wondering if you knew the truth.”

Axel shut the door. “And what good would knowing the truth do for you? You live off feeding rumours around.”

“It is also my job to filter the truth from those rumours.” Luxord leaned against the bar top. “After all it’s not like I’m just going to let it slip who may have left that burning X there.” He returned Axel’s hard stare. “All I’m asking is for a little information on how an old NIT partner of mine met his demise.”

Axel continued to glare at him before sighing, raising his hands in defeat. “Well, what can I say? The X was burning just as his ship sunk beneath the waves. Must have displeased the higher ups somehow.” He gave Luxord a wary glance. “Don’t suppose you were the one to inform them of his disposition?”

“Well, if I did, that would certainly be an interesting rumour.”

They held each other’s glares for another moment before Axel broke it off and made to leave again.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak so openly about my real job,” Axel grabbed the handle of the door. “I do it best when no one knows I’m coming.”

And with that he opened the door and walked out into the hail.

 

\---

 

The cold weather was making it hard for Roxas to fiddle with the more intricate parts of the harness as he rigged it to Toothless.

“Axel, are you sure you won’t help?” he grumbled as he struggled to pull a rope tight.

“I said it before, I’m not going anywhere near that thing until he stops giving me the evil eye every time I visit.” Axel was standing some distance away.

“Well, maybe Toothless wouldn’t be nervous of you if you weren’t so distant,” Roxas replied.

Toothless made a low grumbling sound as he continued to give Axel the “evil eye”.

“So.” Axel peered at his handiwork from a distance. “Will he be able to control his wings with that now?”

Roxas made a face. “Not exactly.” He finished hooking up the harness and gave the appendage one more look over. “For now, I’m still going to have to move the appendage myself.”

“Ambitious.”

“Am-what?”

“Never mind.” Axel sighed, his foggy breath floated in front of him. “So, you’re going to ride him while he shadow travels?”

Roxas bit his lip, “That’s the plan.” He led Toothless over to the flat clearing next to the lake.

“And how are you going to stay on him when he’s a shadow?”

“I…” Roxas paused. _That’s a good question_ , he thought. “Um…”

“Why don’t we check if he can do that first?” Axel suggested.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

It took a couple tries to convey to the Night Fury what they wanted it to do. But eventually Toothless finally got the idea, gliding along the ground, half emerged from his shadow. His back high enough for Roxas to be seated on without getting grazed against the ground as well.

“Okay.” Roxas took a breath as he mounted Toothless. “Now to see if we can actually steer.”

He tested the mechanics of the appendage one more time,pulling the rope one way to straighten the appendage and pulling it the other way to bend it. Another set of ropes raised and lowered the appendage in order to match with the rest of the wing. It all seemed to be in working order.

“Good luck,” Axel commented from a distance.

The first try went about as well as could be expected.

Roxas fell into the icy mud as Toothless rolled along the ground. “Okay.” He spat out a mouthful of dirt. “So we don’t straighten it when we’re turning left.”

They tried again. The second time ended up as well as the first.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Axel glanced down at him as he rested against a boulder.

“Yeah.” Roxas sat up. “It’s just a lot of trial and error.”

They tried it over and over until Roxas had more or less figured out the rope positions needed for Toothless to make a slight turn left.

“Brilliant,” Axel spoke up as Toothless successfully halted at the end of the clearing with Roxas still on top. “He’ll be able to run lazy circles around his prey until he happens to swing close enough to strike.”

“Well, it’s something,” Roxas huffed as he pulled out his diary and wrote in the ropes’ positions.

“Yeah.” The sharpness in Axel’s voice was suddenly gone. “I guess it is.”

Roxas put his diary back into his coat as he ushered Toothless for one more go. Just to be sure it wasn’t a fluke.

Toothless set off again, merging with his shadow. They started the turn and Roxas began to pull the ropes into position.

Of course, he’d been paying too much attention to adjusting the ropes to notice the obstacle he was steering them into. A boulder loomed just within their path of travel. Roxas wouldn’t have noticed it until too late, but Toothless did.

In an attempt to avoid the boulder Toothless suddenly veered to the right. Or at least attempted to, forgetting that without a properly working wing he couldn’t manoeuvre like he used to.

The result sent the Night Fury spinning as it hit the boulder like a ramp and the two of them were sent flying over the lake. Roxas felt himself being thrown from Toothless’ back as he arced through the air. He got a beautiful view of the small lake in the clearing rushing up at him before he crashed right into it.

He had just enough time to think one thought before he did.

_Oh no._

The first thing Roxas registered was the immense pressure that rammed into his shoulder as he hit the surface. Second; the intense cold that seemed to stab into him as he submerged into the icy water. Then everything became a blur of bubbles and inky darkness.

For a moment he was dazed as his mind tried to catch up on what had just happened. It caught up rather quickly as Roxas instinctively went to take a breath. Freezing water stung the back of his throat. He choked and coughed, releasing what little air he had left in his lungs.

Panicking, Roxas kicked out wildly desperately searching for the surface of the water. But he couldn’t find it. He had fallen right in the middle of the lake; it was too deep for him to stand.

And he’d never learned to swim.

As he flailed his arm struck against something slimy. The bottom of the lake maybe? He couldn’t tell, he couldn’t see. The icy water stung his eyes. Roxas pushed off against it in the hopes that he was heading to wards to surface. Where the air was.

His lungs were beginning to convulse now, desperate for air but finding none. His mouth opened against his will and he sucked in another mouthful of water. Just as he was sent into another wave of panic, an eruption of bubbles entered the water beside him. Something wrapped around his waist and he was pulled upwards.

Roxas spluttered as his head broke the surface. He tried to take a breath, but his lungs were so full of water that he couldn’t take in any air. The grip on his waist shifted and his head dipped under again. Desperate, he clung on to whatever that had saved him, trying to pull himself back to the surface.

A kick was aimed at his chest, pushing him away. For a scary moment Roxas began to sink again and he was unable to do anything about it. His focus was fading now. Limbs began to feel like lead.

Two hands grabbed him under the armpits, and he was dragged upwards again. This time as he broke the surface, he could only cough weakly. As he struggled to open his eyes, he noticed that he was being dragged towards the shore. Axel’s voice seemed to float through his mind like fog.

“Roxas… Roxas! Roxas! Can you hear me?”

He was half pulled ashore, his legs still in the water. Axel collapsed next to him as Roxas desperately tried to clear his lungs. But no matter how much water bubbled out of his mouth there still seemed to be endlessly more.

Seeing his struggle, Axel rolled him over and began to slap his back with the palm of his hand.Short hard strokes. Now the water gushed out and splattered on the ground before him. Roxas sucked in a breath of air, sending relief through his body. He coughed again, throwing up more water, but at least he could breathe again.

After a moment he was vaguely away that Axel was still speaking to him.

“Huh?” Roxas croaked as he glanced up at the redheaded Nobody.

“I said, have you got it all out yet? The water?”

“I… think so…” It hurt to talk. It hurt to breath. He felt like the back of his throat had been ripped open.

“Come on,” Axel put an arm around him and helped drag him the rest of the way out of the water. Toothless watched from a short distance away, making a low whining sound.

As Axel put him down, he summoned his weapons. For a split second, Roxas thought he was going to attack Toothless for nearly causing Roxas to drown. Instead, he just lit them on fire and stuck them into the ground, creating a makeshift campfire.

For a long time, the three of them sat around the burning weapons with nothing to say. The silence was only interrupted by Roxas’ coughing fits. He could taste blood in his mouth now. Axel said that was to be expected. He’d coughed himself raw. It would heal over time.

After Roxas’ shivering had finally died down Axel spoke.

“You gave me a fright.”

Roxas drew his gaze away from the fire and glanced up at him. “A… fright?” he croaked.

“Yeah.”

“What’s… a fright?”

“Well it’s…” Axel sighed as he leaned back on his hands. “It’s not really something that happens to Nobodies.” He paused, and Roxas thought he was going to explain further. Instead Axel shook his head out and changed the subject. “Anyway, how are you now? Think you can walk back?”

“Uh.” Roxas tried standing up wearily. He wobbled a bit. “I think I may need some help up the hill.”

Roxas said goodbye to Toothless. The Night Fury seemed more clingy than usual, giving Roxas a sloppy lick.

“Ugh gross.” Roxas shook the black saliva out of his hair.

Axel and Toothless gave each other farewell glares before they left. As the two of them made their way back to the village Axel kept a steady arm around Roxas. It was just as well, because in his tired state Roxas’ feet seemed to stumble over twice as many roots than normal.

“How did you even survive this long without me?” Axel wondered as he helped Roxas to his feet for the third time.

“To be honest, I think it was a lot of luck,” Roxas croaked back.

They meandered a bit further before Axel spoke again. “Are you still going to try riding Toothless?”

“I have to,” Roxas replied. “I made a promise.”

Axel scoffed, “You can’t promise a Heartless anything.”

“No, I didn’t.” Roxas looked up at him. “I promised myself that I would fix him.”

Axel’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly. He turned away. “Okay.”

“Besides,” Roxas continued. “We already managed turning left today. Once we get the basics down, I can improve the appendage. I’ve already taken notes on how the ropes should be set…”

Roxas trailed off as he patted down his jacket.

“Oh no.”

“What’s wrong?” Axel glanced back at him.

“My diary… I must have lost it in the lake when I fell in…” Roxas’ posture deflated. “I’ll have to start over.”

Seeing this, Axel released his arm from Roxas and gave him a sturdy pat on the back. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Ow!” Roxas winced, rubbing his back. “What do you mean?”

“Well you already did it once,” Axel explained. “So, it can’t be that hard to do the same thing tomorrow. Or whenever we next head over.”

Roxas tilted his head. “You think so?”

“Of course. And don’t worry about your diary. I’ll put a word in for the Moogles so you can get back to taking notes in no time.”

Roxas couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Axel.”

Axel rubbed the back of his head.

“It’s nothing.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's refreshing to write from another character's perspective for this fic every once and a while. It was also nice to check up on how Luxord is doing.  
> The drowning scene had been stuck in my head for a while. And for the longest time my thoughts were: I know I know the correct technique for pulling someone out of the water. But would Axel know it? And so I went for something in between. 
> 
> As always huge thanks to HouseofSannae for beta reading!
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


	20. Chapter 20

_Axel’s been a big help._

_He and Toothless still don’t get along, but at least they’re trying. Kinda._

_At least they haven’t tried to kill each other lately._

_And we’re making huge improvements with Toothless’ recovery, all thanks to Axel’s ideas._

_Toothless will be up and shadow traveling again in no time._

 

 

Roxas yawned as he looked over the blueprints he had just made. It was late, but he had so many thoughts running through his head, he thought he might forget something if he didn’t write it down. He knew Axel would berate him for not resting after he had nearly drowned earlier that day, but he figured sleep could wait a little longer.

With his diary gone he was a little limited, but he had gotten around it by making some unique blueprints for his “Project Toothless”. This time the “Heartless Dummies” that he was supposedly designing were being made so that someone could operate the dummy from on top of it, manoeuvring the limbs via a pulley system. In reality, Roxas was just using this as a cover for designing a saddle. If he could mount Toothless properly, and had something to attach himself to, then he would be less likely to fall off. And the less chance Roxas had of drowning, the better.

As he was just rolling up the last of his blueprints, a loud _pop_ echoed in the room. It was followed by an exclamation, “Kupo!”, before another pop.

Roxas remained frozen where he was at the table, wondering what the hell had just happened.

The noise had sounded like it had come from the front door, so cautiously he got up to go inspect it. He found nothing there but a small package on the ground. As he picked it up, it had a familiar weight to it.

“Hang on…”

It was a new diary. Filled to the brim with advertisements and pamphlets.

“Geeze, Axel, that was fast.” Roxas chuckled a bit as he shook out the extra paper. Adds for waterproofing and mud resistant spells littered the floor. It would make good kindling material.

Roxas gathered it up and piled it in a corner of the room before sitting down and opening the diary. Now he could write with a bit more freedom.

Just as he was about to put a piece of charcoal to the page, a loud _BOOM_ thundered overhead. It was followed by shouts and calls to arms. The eerie shrieks and roars of Heartless began to fill the night.

 _A Night Raid?_ Roxas glanced over towards the door. A low resonating horn began to hum throughout the village. The official Night Raid alarm.

The snores of Brextor next door were abruptly cut short as the Nobody woke up shouting a mess of words about fighting. Wearing nothing but a pair of underwear, he grabbed an axe left on the workshop bench and thundered outside.

Roxas sighed and put his diary down. He was going to leave it here in case it got burnt otherwise.

Just as he placed it on the table, something slammed against the Smithy door. Roxas froze, wondering if it was a Nobody or a Heartless. Before he could decide, the door swung open.

Demyx stubbled into the smithy, slamming the door behind him. He spotted Roxas and the two NITs stared at each other for a second.

“Roxas!” Demyx sprung away from the door. “Perfect timing! I need you to deal with a Heartless outside for me.”

Roxas frowned, “I thought we were banned from participating in Night Raids?”

“Yeah, until we could summon our weapons. You’ve summoned yours before, right? Can you just deal with this Heartless outside, pretty please?”

“What Heartless?”

There was a bang and the smithy door shook with the sound of snuffling.

Demyx yelped, “That one!”

The snuffling stopped for a second before a shadow suddenly slipped under the door and darted into the room. It zoomed around for a moment before coming to rest under the workbench. A Heartless emerged from the shadow.

It was small, its tiny black form being no longer than Roxas’ arm. It had two bulging yellow eyes glowing on the top of its head and was covered in an array of spikes.

“That’s the Heartless you’re scared of?” Roxas asked.

Sensing that it had been underestimated, the small heartless growled and leapt out from under the table, right at Roxas’ face. Roxas stumbled back as he tried to fend off the creature. The Heartless clawed at his arms as it tried to bite his nose. Demyx started screeching “Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!” in the background.

Roxas’ back hit something and it gave way, letting him fall to the ground. He sunk into the mud; apparently, he had fallen outside. The battles of the Night Raid filled his ears along with the shrill cries of the Heartless on top of him.

If he could just get the Heartless off him, then he could summon his Keyblade to scare it away. But at this close proximity he might end up killing it.

Just as he had managed to grab the Heartless a fireball seared in front of him, burning the Heartless to a crisp. Roxas yelped and let go as its body dissolved into darkness. Looking up he saw Zexion some distance away. He was standing with his spellbook in one hand and his other arm stretched out, still smoking slightly. He tilted his head as he peered down at him.

“Roxas?”

“Did you get it?” Demyx poked his head out of the smithy doorway.

“And Demyx,” Zexion sighed. “Couldn’t even take on one Terrible Terror, could you?”

“Well, it kinda took us by surprise,” Roxas muttered as he stood up.

“Yeah, it’s not like you had to fight it!” Demyx retorted.

“He was the one who killed it.”

“Shut up, Roxas.”

Zexion rolled his eyes. “I think you’d find it a lot easier to deal with the Heartless if you actually summoned your weapons.”

Demyx muttered something under his breath as he summoned his Sitar. Instantly the air around him changed, as if the water was being drawn to his weapon.

A Heartless appeared in the street. Another Terrible Terror, it hissed at the three of them but did not approach immediately. Instead, it let out a series of sharp chirps.

“Uh, what’s it doing?” Demyx asked hesitantly.

Roxas didn’t like the look of it either. He glanced at Zexion, hoping the NIT could provide some answers but he was silent.

The sound of other chirps began to fill the night, and they were drawing closer.

“I think he’s calling his friends,” Roxas replied. He tried to summon his Keyblade, but it wouldn’t come to his reach.

Now a mass of shadows were gathering at the end of the street as the Terrible Terrors grew in numbers. They began to approach, slowly at first, then they all came scampering forward. Like a wave of darkness filled with hundreds of glaring yellow eyes.

Zexion cast fireballs at the wave but it did little to deter them. Demyx strummed his sitar and water rose from the soaked ground, swirling around the trio. A few jets shot out, striking some of the Heartless, but more ran forward to replace them.

Just as the wave was almost upon them, Roxas pulled on a familiar feeling in his chest. The same thought had happened when he first summoned the Keyblade in NIT training. To protect.

Light flashed in his hands before the Keyblade materialised. The waves of Terrible Terrors hissed in unison and suddenly split, diverging around the group. They were surrounded but none of the Terrible Terrors dared to approach them. Yet.

Zexion and Demyx stepped back as the Terrors began to advance.

“Come on, not cool,” Demyx jittered.

They were back to back now, the circle around them growing tighter and tighter. A few of the braver Terrible Terrors took a leap at them. They were brusquely cut off by a jet of water or a fireball. None of the Heartless seemed too keen on tackling Roxas’ Keyblade and Roxas hoped it stayed that way.

“Think we can hold them off?” he asked.

“Hold them off, possibly,” Zexion replied. “Get out of this situation, not without help. And we’re good as dead if any more Heartless come along.”

A Terrible Terror made a lunge at Roxas. He yelped and butted it with the back end of his Keyblade. It fell back within the crowd of Heartless. “Well, don’t you have some sort of plan?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Well, work on it faster!” Demyx cried.

Zexion sounded like he was going to make a retort to that, but the group was interrupted by two streaks of searing fire racing up the street.

The Terrible Terrors screeched as they burnt up in the flames. Others tried to scramble away. The leads of the fire spun around the circle of NITs and Roxas caught a glimpse of the weapons causing the destruction.

“It’s Axel!”

Sure enough, as the weapons pulled back through the enemy Heartless they were caught by a familiar red-headed figure.

“I thought Saïx broke you nits in?” Axel sighed as he tossed the weapons again. “Don’t tell me a bunch of small fries like this had you cornered.”

His weapons zigzagged through the Terrible Terrors, incinerating them all. Even the ones that tried to flee upon the rooftops were struck down.

“Months of training and this is still the gap in power between us NITs and a fully-fledged Nobody,” Zexion mused. “Incredible.”

The street was empty apart from the Nobodies standing there. Roxas’ Keyblade flashed and disappeared. His chest felt even more sore than before.

“Dam brats,” Axel cursed as the last of the Terrible Terrors managed to escape his onslaught. “Yeah, you gotta watch out for these terror mites. They’re tougher than you think they are. Especially in numbers.”

“Uh, right,” Zexion seemed a little uncomfortable taking advice from someone as notorious as Axel.

“Well, don’t just stand there,” Axel slapped both Zexion and Demyx on the back. “The village still needs you out there. Keep slaying those Heartless!”

The two Nobodies nodded and headed off. Just as Roxas was about to follow them, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Roxas, you really should be sitting this one out.” Axel gave him a solemn look. “Nearly drowning isn’t something to take lightly.”

“Oh, right.” In the immediate chaos, Roxas had forgotten that he had already nearly died earlier that day. ‘Yeah, of course.”

“Blockade is probably safest the place to be.” Axel began to steer him towards the north of the village. “You can wait out the raid there. Now, remember to stick close to me. And if you get separated, run.”

Roxas nodded. “Got it.”

They set off through the crowded streets, Axel nailing down any Heartless that came to close while Roxas scurried past them. It was all going rather well until a Monstrous Nightmare blocked their path.

Axel cursed and ushered Roxas back around the corner. He was too slow, the Monstrous Nightmare spotted them.

“Keep running!” Axel shouted as they ducked down another street, the Heartless in tow. Roxas didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly overtook Axel, who kept behind him, distracting the Monstrous Nightmare with his attacks.

Something latched onto Roxas’ leg and he fell to the ground. Glancing, down he saw that a Shadow had snagged him. He kicked at it with his free foot and it hissed and shrank away from him. It merged into the ground for a second before suddenly lunging out on top of him.

Roxas raised an arm to protect himself but before the Heartless struck there was a flash of silver. Roxas blinked, looking up he saw a familiar figure standing over him.

“Xion…?” Before he could ask, she was suddenly dashing forward again, charging right at the Monstrous Nightmare. “Xion!”

Axel heard his shout. He reacted a little too slowly as Xion raced past him. “Hang on, wait!”

The Monstrous Nightmare’s nostrils flared, and it let out a belch of fire. Instantly its whole figure became encased in flame. It growled threateningly at Xion. Xion was undeterred and continued her approach at a run.

It shot another belch of flame at her. She dodged it by sliding along the mud, coming to rest against the wall of a building. Using that as leverage, she shot to her feet and closed in on the Heartless.

At this point Roxas was getting to his feet, trying to summon his Keyblade. But once again it wouldn’t come.

Axel, on the other hand, was trying not to get Xion killed by a Monstrous Nightmare. He cut off its swiping attack at her with one of his flaming rings. With his other hand, he picked her up by the back of her armour and pulled her back. Xion let out a surprised yelp as she lost her stance.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Axel gave her a perplexed look. “This Heartless is too powerful for you. Stand down and let the real Nobodies handle it.”

Xion flinched and pulled herself out of his grip. Her eyes flicked between Axel and the Monstrous Nightmare. She gripped her Keyblade tight.

“Come on,” Roxas took her arm (the one without the Keyblade in it). Axel redirected another spout of flames from the Monstrous Nightmare. It growled at them, but seemed unkeen at approaching them while Xion still held her weapon. “Axel’s fully trained. He can handle it.”

“Actually,” Axel corrected him as he pulled the two of them into a retreat. “Our fire seems to cancel out a bit. Now would be an excellent time to move.”

With both Axel and Roxas pulling her along, Xion had no choice but to go with them. The Monstrous Nightmare watched them for a moment before slinking into its shadow and disappearing.

Axel decided to drop Xion off where a bunch of Nobodies were fighting off a horde of Neoshadows. “There, those look about your size.”

Xion gave no response and simply joined in the fight.

“She’s a worry,” Axel panted as they skirted the edges of the fight. They were nearing the top of the village now. Just a few more streets and they’d arrive and the barricade. Unfortunately, the fighting was pretty thick here. It was hard for the pair of them to avoid skirmishes.

Axel protected for him for the most part. Halfway through the street Roxas, finally managed to summon his Keyblade again. The Neoshadows backed off, still ringing around them but not coming any closer. They had other problems anyway, like the several other Nobodies beating them into the mud.

Just as they were reaching the end of the street, Roxas happened to catch sight of Xion amongst the battle. She was staring at him with a strange expression. Before either of them had any time to ponder over the moment, a Heartless attacked Xion and she turned away, striking it down. Axel grabbed Roxas by the back of his shirt, breaking his concentration. His Keyblade disappeared.

They managed to get to the barricade alive.

“I didn’t miss this while I was away,” Axel groaned as they made it past the first guard.

They were stopped at the door. The Nobodies guarding it barred Axel’s path.

“Relax,” Axel sighed. “I’m still fighting. Just dropping off this little squirt.” He gave Roxas a pat.

Seeing that Roxas was there they guards let him through. Just as he was past the door he had the sudden urge to thank Axel. But by the time he turned around, the doors were already closed.

 

\---

 

The Heartless didn’t let up until sunrise.

Axel cursed as his weapons missed another Heartless. The Deadly Nadder squawked at him and sent a volley of spikes in retaliation. Normally, Axel would have been able to dodge an attack like that easily, but he was at the end of his tether. Fighting the whole night had really taken it out of him.

Just before the poisonous spikes struck him, they were knocked out of the air by violet projectiles. A second after the Deadly Nadder found itself embedded by a hundred purple bolts of light. It dissolved into shadow.

“You’re losing your touch, ‘Dark Rescue’!”

“That was one time,” Axel muttered under his breath as he turned to face the Nobody that had saved him. “Xigbar! I didn’t think your old bones could handle this kind of exercise. You sure you don’t want to rest up in the Barricade?”

“Ha! They couldn’t keep me there if they tried.”

It was getting lighter. A few persistent Heartless were still parading in the streets. Weary Nobodies took them out one by one. The damage was looking to be severe, but at least it looked like the Barricade, where Roxas was resting, was intact.

Xigbar spoke next to Axel as he scanned the area, “Y’know they’re getting organised.”

“What?”

“The Heartless.”

Axel frowned. “How can they be getting organised?”

“Beats me,” Xigbar shook his head. “But they’re getting smart. First, they were popping up all random. Now they’re getting in where our guard is lowest.”

Axel was about to question him some more but another Deadly Nadder attacked. By the time he had defeated it, Xigbar had moved on.

 

\---

 

He fought until every last shadow had disappeared. Afterwards, he ducked into some broken house to rest while the other began the clean-up. He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, he was waking up to the sound of the hut crashing down around him.

Saïx was standing over him, claymore in his hand, looking down at him with an expression of disinterest.

“Oh, you are alive.”

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Axel jumped to his feet. A wooden beam had fallen just three inches left of where his head had been. “You could have killed me!”

“It would have been more beneficial to the village than having you obscure the clean up.”

“Clean up?” Axel growled. “You’re tearing the house down.”

“Its structure has been compromised. It would have collapsed anyway. Perhaps it would have fallen on you if I hadn’t taken it down.”

“Wouldn’t you be happy then?” Axel grumbled as he pushed past him.

“Don’t be absurd. Nobodies can’t feel.”

 

\---

 

You might think nearly dying would warrant a Nobody an excuse to sit out of clean-up. As it so happens, nearly dying seemed to be a Nobody’s most popular pastime. Which was why Roxas was out shovelling debris out of the snow with the other NITs.

Apparently, it snowed last night. Roxas hadn’t noticed it. Maybe it had snowed while he was in the barricade. Either way, the cold white powder dusted the whole village. Melting beneath their feet as they walked on it.

“Roxas, can you stop staring at your feet and actually help us clean up?”

Roxas blinked groggily as he lifted his head to meet Zexion’s gaze. “What?” he croaked. His throat had gotten worse overnight. Maybe it had swollen? It felt swollen.

“I said stop dawdling and help sort the debris,” Zexion snapped. “It’s hard enough having Demyx and Larxene slacking off.”

“Sorry,” Roxas yawned. It made his throat sore. “I’ve just never seen so much snow before.”

“Well, you’ll see plenty more of it as the cold season comes in.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Zexion held his hand horizontal to the ground, just above his knee. “It got up to this high last year. Leaving the lab was a pain.” He shook his head. “Worse than trekking through mud, I say.”

“The lab?”

“Of course. I work with Vexen. You know that. He lives in his alchemist lab.”

“That’s where you make the synthesised stuff? Before we combine it with the metal.”

“Yes, it’s primarily spellwork. But combined with a physical substance, we can make something more enhanced than ordinary material.”

“Like weapons.”

Zexion nodded. “If a Nobody needs them. Of course, summoned weapons are more powerful than man-made ones, no matter how much skill you have in blacksmithing or crafting. Plus, summoned weapons save even more material than synthesised ones.”

“What else can you make with synthesised material?” Roxas asked. _So far, this stuff is the best match for Toothless’ shadowtraveling. I need to know what else I can get out of it._

“Well, synthesised material can be used for almost anything. Even mimicking…” He trailed off for a moment. “Never mind.”

Roxas frowned. “Never mind?”

“You don’t need to know.” Zexion turned away. “I’m not supposed to talk to you anyway.”

“You were the one that started talking to me!”

“Roxas,” The voice came from behind him. Roxas turned to find Xion confronting him. “If you are not working Saïx needs you to move some logs by these houses over there.” She pointed to a section where a scattered pile of logs needed sorting.

Roxas sighed and turned to see if he could still talk to Zexion, but the Nobody had moved on to berate Demyx for trying to sneak away. He turned back to Xion. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

He headed over and began to drag to logs out of the way of the road. They’d be collected by one of the builder Nobodies before the end of the day. As he worked, he couldn’t help but notice Xion staring at him as he did.

“What is it?” he asked her.

Xion blinked and looked away. “It’s nothing.”

She moved on to another job nearby. However, it wasn’t long before he noticed her staring again.

“Am I doing something wrong?” he tried again. “Look, I know I’m slow but I’m doing my best. I just… A lot happened yesterday and I’m still exhausted.”

“Oh,” Xion looked away again. “It’s not that.”

Roxas tilted his head. “Then what is it?”

Xion mulled over what she was going to say for a minute. She eventually made up her mind. “You used you weapon last night.”

“Uh, yes?” He remembered seeing Xion see him use it in the Neoshadow fight.

“But you never attacked any Heartless with it.”

Roxas blinked. He hadn’t realised she had noticed that. “Uh, I didn’t need to.”

“Didn’t need to?” Xion sounded genuinely confused. “But we’re made to kill Heartless. How can you say there was no need to attack them?”

 _Because I have a friendship with a Night Fury that I don’t want to complicate by killing other Heartless_ , was Roxas’ first thought. But there was no way he could say that to Xion. Instead he said, “I was just trying to get through. Not fight.”

Xion frowned. “But it’s not just last night. You don’t attack the Heartless in training either. Even when Saïx allows us to. Why?”

Roxas blanked. “I don’t…”

Just then a crash came from one of the huts that was to be demolished. A cry rang out.

“What the hell were you thinking?!”

“That’s Axel!” Roxas dropped the log he was supposed to be carrying. “Sorry, Xion, I gotta see if he’s alright.”

“But, wait… why?” Xion almost reached for him as he left.

This time Roxas’ answer to her question came much more readily. “Cause he’s my friend.”

He didn’t wait for her response before turning around and running off.

Xion watched him go.

“Friend…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost didn't get this chapter out in time because I was running behind schedule, but I decided to put my back into finishing the buffer chapter this afternoon. I didn't want to leave any followers of this fic hanging cause I didn't stick to my regular schedule. However depending on how work goes over the next month I may not be able to keep up with one chapter every fortnight. So if you don't see me update when you expect it, don't freak. I've just got a lot on my plate.
> 
> However in good news I can safely say that we are over halfway through this fic. I want to finish this by the end of the year, or failing that, finishing it before the uni term starts. This is a personal promise to myself and I will strive towards it.
> 
> Anyway in discussion of this chapter, it turned out far longer that I first thought it would so I hope you all enjoyed every word of it. 
> 
> Thank you HouseofSannae for Beta reading as always!
> 
> Comments always appreciated :)


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